Bound to be alone
by 4SnowWolf
Summary: They didn't have a passionate wedding night, they had a mighty big row. She is going to get this marriage annulled. And he is...? Sequel to "Bound to be free".
1. Not the best Start

It was nearly 10 pm and Harry and Ginny had managed to escape the celebrations. They wanted to be alone for a bit. They wanted to celebrate their own relationship. They wanted... each other.

There was a secluded part of the garden that contained the only gravel path for miles around, lots of wonderfully scented flowers in full bloom and benches hidden in alcoves formed by box hedge.

They were sitting on a bench, kissing each other senseless. Nothing would stop them. They would spend this night like their best friend was going to do, engaged in passion without boundaries or common sense. They would be finding in each other what they had been looking for. Tonight was _the_ night!

Raised voices were drifting to them on the wind. They didn't hear them. Footsteps approaching on the other side of the eight feet high hedge alluded them. The world contained only two people, Harry and...

"Will you stop running away, for Merlin's sake!"

"I'll run as much as I like!"

"Oh, no, you are not running away from me!"

Struggling could be heard. There was the sound of somebody shrieking. Somebody female.

"Let go off me!"

"I don't think so!"

Harry slowly surfaced and was wondering for a moment, if he could be dreaming about somebody fighting next to him while kissing his girlfriend at the same time.

"You are my wife!"

"Yes, but not your prisoner!"

His eyes met Ginny's. She was also back in the cold world of reality and looked at him with alarm written all over her face.

"You are not going to spend _our_ wedding night at Weasel's house!"

"I'll spend my nights where ever I want to."

"Oh, no, you are not!"

"Watch me!"

More struggling, bordering on a fight by the sounds of it.

"Let me go or I'll..."

"What? What will you do? Hex me?"

"Bite you."

A male voice suddenly yelped in pain.

"How dare you bite your husband?"

Ginny was still looking at Harry. They could both see what the other was thinking, Hermione and Malfoy? Fighting already?

"I never chose you. I never would!"

"Your father seemed to think that I was okay."

"You weren't even born when your mother bound me to you."

"You are still mine."

"In your dreams..."

A rather ominous silence fell. The couple forced to listen carefully faced the hedge behind them. Both wondering what was going on behind the green barrier.

"Are you telling me that I haven't been in your dreams? That you haven't been all too willing to welcome me and my..."

"That's disgusting!"

"You might think that, but I assure you that you will be asking for more once I have shown you would it means to..."

"I'll never EVER do anything like _that_ with you!"

"Oh, yes you will. If not tonight, then tomorrow or the night after that. It won't be long and you will be begging me to show you the secrets of married life."

"How would you know about married life? Have you practised? With Pansy probably?"

There was a growling sound. Two heads turned to check the moon with anticipation. It wasn't full moon. Sighs of relief.

The hedge was shaken as if somebody was pressed into it.

"You are my wife and as such you have to share my bed."

"We don't live in the Dark Ages any more. I'm not your property. Or your slave!"

"Your love for me will chain you to my bed."

Gasping.

"I knew it was a mistake to tell you that I had any feelings for you."

No reply. Harry was surveying the pebbles on the path. There was no way they could just quietly slip away. They would be heard in any case.

"But you can't deny that you love me! And you can't deny that you have been wanting to shag me senseless."

Another gasp.

"How dare you!"

"I am bound to you for the rest of eternity and I will have you. In my life and my bed!"

"I couldn't care less what you want! I am not going to spend the rest of my existence in that House of Horrors you call home. Whatever you say I'll not spend a single night there!"

"You'll go where I go. You are my wife."

"I seem to have to repeat myself, Malfoy, but I am NOT your bloody slave."

"If you truly loved me you would want to be with me. Regardless of where that should happen to be."

"And if YOU truly loved me, you wouldn't behave like a Neanderthaler and take my feelings into consideration. It would be important for you to make sure I'm happy where you want me to spend my wedding night."

"What is so special about this night anyway?"

There was no answer.

The listeners were wondering what was happening as a rather calmed down Draco was heard saying, "You should have told me."

"Why?" The answer was as soft as barbed wire.

"I would have..."

"No, you wouldn't! It wouldn't have made any difference whatsoever. You would have behaved exactly the same way. Pushing your weight about and trying to intimidate me into submitting to your sordid games. I got news for you, it didn't work! You can't intimidate me any longer. You might have been able to do that at school, but after _that_ day... Your number was up."

Silence.

"Please, Hermione."

Was his voice actually sounding like he was pleading with her?

"I'll find a divorce lawyer and get this farce annulled right now! I must have been out of my mind thinking there might be something worthy enough in you for me to make the effort to try and find it."

The hedge was moving again. Somebody was extracting herself or himself from it.

"You are not worth my time, Draco Malfoy!"

There was a sharp _-crack-_ of somebody apparating and then nothing but silence. Until the very quiet sobbing started.

Harry got up slowly pulling Ginny with him.

"We need to check on Hermione." He whispered.

"Are you sure, it's her on the other side?" Was the murmured answer.

He looked at her, then at the hedge.

"You don't think that's him, do you?"

She shrugged.

"Draco?"

Another female could suddenly be heard. The young wizard recognised it as Mrs. Malfoy.

"Let's go!"

They walked as careful as they could through the flowerbeds. The last thing the needed after having had to listen to the row of the newly wed couple was the groom sobbing and probably being given a piece of her mind by his mother.

* * *

><p>Harry and Ginny didn't even made it back to the celebrations before they were ambushed by Mrs. Weasley, who demanded to be told where they were thinking they would be going. Neither was quick enough with an answer and so the they found themselves assigned to assist the older members of the family to floo or side along apparate safely home. Nothing they tried made any difference. They were told, that they had had their share of fun for the day and would no be make themselves useful.<p>

"And there was me thinking I could have you alone for a bit." Harry complained as they were looking for great-uncle Norris.

"We should have gone to my room as I suggested." Ginny shot back.

"And being found by Hermione and Malfoy? No thanks!"

"Why do you think they would be going to spend the night here?"

Harry sighed.

"We know now that that is not going to happen, but I would have bet that them two would have been way too keen and would have tried to just find a room to... be alone..."

Before Ginny could answer they had found the man they were looking for and for the time being forgot about their best friend, her fight and anything else as they were trying to persuade the drunk as a skunk eighty year old that it was time to go home.

* * *

><p>Narcissa Malfoy had seen her son and new daughter-in-law slip away a while ago. She was now looking for them to see, if she could say goodnight to them before she left or if they were to occupied with each other.<p>

The garden seemed to be a compartmentalised attempt to taming the wilderness surrounding the Weasley family home. On her left was an eight foot hedge, on her right an array of flowerbeds, the path in the middle was covered in shredded bark. It muffled any sound her steps might have been making otherwise.

She smiled to herself as she was thinking of the fact that her boy had finally got somebody at his side. Over time the young witch would make him see what had been missing in his life so far. She would teach him... Sobbing interrupted her thoughts. She tried to penetrate the dim light created by the occasional lantern. There was a figure slumped down on the path some twenty feet ahead of her.

"Draco?"

The sobbing grew louder as she approached. Now she saw that it wasn't her son but daughter-in-law that was huddled there amongst the greenery.

"Dear?"

The older woman bent down and gently caressed the back of the sobbing girl before her.

"What has happened? What has he done now?"

Hermione looked up and was surprised to find his mother bent over her. She scrambled to her feet trying to smooth her dress down as much as she could. Two hands were placed lightly onto her shoulders. She didn't know what to say.

"You have had a fight, haven't you?"

She could only nod. To her surprise she felt herself pulled into a gently embrace. Her mother-in-law seemed to understand what had happened.

"He has been trying to either push, bully or intimidate you into doing something you don't want to do. Am I right?"

It was uncanny how good this woman knew the son, she had tried so hard to protect all his life.

"He has ordered me to stay at the Manor with him." Hermione swallowed heavily. "I can't do that. Not after what happened."

"I suspect, he has been trying to convince you otherwise in his less than subtle ways."

An exhausted nod was the only reply.

"I think, we should have a talk. Don't you?"

Hermione wasn't sure, but at least as long as she was with his mother he couldn't suddenly ambush him and try to force her to accept his decision after all.

The two women walked a short distance to the next bench. Sitting down, the shadows swirling around them could have made the casual observer miss them sitting there all together.

"My son is far too often behaving too like his father. He has never really been privy to the subtle and intimate interactions that normally happen between a couple. He has never seen the way a loving couple acts. I was alas never able to teach him. His father saw to it. After I saved my son from his clutches he never let me have any real part when it came to the upbringing of his precious heir. He despised the fact, that Draco would be a free man or as free as a bound man could be.

Lucius had already decided that his son would be marrying the daughter of his dear _friend _Parkinson. Even before he was born, plans had been made for the life of my son. I couldn't allow that. You were a gift sent to protect my son. Alas you turned out to be a witch and not the Muggle girl I had hoped for."

Narcissa sighed.

"I have been trying to tell him time and again that he will sooner or later have to face the world again. That he should go out and meet people, meet girls. He refused. After they took his father to Azkaban he didn't really want to go out any longer. He declined all and every invitation that ever came for him. He was determined not to get involved with the world. He didn't want to be involved with anybody, especially not any girls.

I suspect that is due to the fact that he knew only the pureblood high society kind his father made sure he met. He might have been more inclined to date, if he would have had somebody like yourself as an acquaintance."

Hermione coughed.

"Draco would have never wanted anything to do with me. I was so far beneath him. He always looked down on me."

"Oh, he had to change his mind about you some years ago..."

The young witch looked at the older one.

"Did he?"

"Of course, dear. He has been punched only once by a girl. Only once..."

He had changed his mind about her after that punch? That really was _years_ ago!

"You see, he had to face up to the fact that _you _were his equal. He wasn't used to that. It has riled him quite a bit over the years. It kept him on his toes. You will be fine as his wife, dear. If anybody can tame my dragon, you can."

Was there pride in her voice? Hermione wasn't sure. She still tried to come to terms with the fact that her mother-in-law actually thought that she was the right girl for Draco. It was a really odd situation. _She_ was talking to his mother and not him. She was being encouraged to stick it out and make sure he didn't do anything stupid like leaving her.

"Mrs. Malfoy..."

"Please, dear, don't call me that! It reminds me too much of the days when I had to content with a heartless husband and a name I didn't want to bear. Call me...," she hesitated, "Mother if you can or Narcissa, if you can't."

Silence. Hermione wasn't capable of to answer. There must have been some kind of alternative universe that had swallowed her without her noticing. She tried to get her head around what she had just been told. She was allowed to call Mrs. Malfoy, the wife of Lucius Malfoy and the mother of the heir to name, estate and fortune of the House of Malfoy _Mother_?

"I... thank you." Was all she finally managed to mutter.

"You are welcome..." There was a pause. "May I call you Hermione?"

"Of course."

"Thank you and now I think it is time you go and find that reluctant husband of yours."

Hermione was about to say that there was no way to entice her to look for the twisted bastard, but she found herself suddenly alone within the garden. She blink. Where had her mother-in-law vanished to? She had been here a minute ago...

She sighed. Might as well turn in. She was halfway back to the Burrow when she realised that this was supposed to be her wedding night. She was supposed to enjoy passion and unbridled physicality with her husband. Husband! She snorted. Regardless of the hopes of his mother Hermione was determined to get their marriage annulled tomorrow morning first thing. At least she could claim it never having been consummated. That should speak in her favour, if nothing else did.


	2. Being free at last?

Narcissa Malfoy had apparated directly into the big entrance hall of Malfoy Manor. There she was treated to the sight of her son, still in his dress robes, sitting on the steps, head in his hands.

"Draco? May I ask, what you are doing here? I would have expected you to be with your bride. It is you wedding night after all."

He looked up. There was a mixture of anger, disappointment and defiance showing.

"You two didn't even manage to last to the end of the celebrations before having a fight."

It was a simple statement and she used it to convey her own disappointment and to a certain extend her disapproval of the situation. She had been hoping that once they were actually married they would take the time to... Obviously not.

"What has happened?"

"She didn't want to come and stay here with me."

"Did you actually ask her or was it more you telling her that she would be living here from now on?"

There was not need for an answer. She knew her son way to well as to delude herself about the beginning of the fight.

"You had a month, a whole _month,_ Draco, to get to know her. You could have taken the opportunity to find out about what she likes, what she dislikes, what her plans are, what she likes to eat and what dreams she has. You could have been the man I always hoped you would be. Instead you have been trying to get her to act where your action was required. You could have courted her with flowers, long walks, by being seriously interested in her. You chose to waste the precious time you were given. I am astounded that she consented to marry you at all. She seems to be a lot more sensible than you, a lot more mature."

Her stern look dared him to contradict her. He knew better than to attempt it.

"Draco, you are my son and it pains me to have to say this, but you are disgrace for the name of Malfoy."

"Mother, please."

"What? Why are you not out there finding your wife? I found her sobbing in the garden. Sobbing! No woman should be sobbing on her wedding day. What kind of husband are you going to be?"

"An ex-husband!" he replied bitterly.

"I beg your pardon?"

"She is going to get our marriage annulled."

His mother looked at him. Lost for words. Her son didn't even have a wedding night and the divorce was already scheduled? This was even worse than she had anticipated while speaking to Hermione. She sighed.

"I suspect you will just let her do that?"

Anger sparkled in his eyes.

"What do you expect me to do? This whole thing was a mistake from the very start! I should have never got involved with her. She never wanted me. She always loved Weasley and now that the Binding has been fulfilled she'll be able to marry him."

Contempt was in his words and bitterness.

His mother sighed. How could he be so stubborn and so easily discouraged at the same time? For a month now she had been hoping he would finally open up a bit, loose his act as untouchable, aloof and uninterested prat and allow himself to enjoy the presence of a girl by his side. A girl that was willing to accept his past and think of a future with him. Hermione probably knew all his most horrible secrets and she had still been able to care for him. He should have been thankful to be presented with such a wonderful human being willing to become his wife.

She was close to telling him that he was no longer a son of hers, but caught herself at the last moment. If he wanted to give up his one chance to a happy life without a fight, so be it. She would no longer be trying to steer him in the direction she knew was the right one. She would just watch him waste his life. If he was happy to let his House and family die out, because he didn't have the common sense to try and woe his wife back into his arms, so be it.

Ascending the stairs to retire to her own room she didn't bother looking at her son again. She had risked her life by trying to safeguard his freedom and he was obviously unable to appreciate this.

* * *

><p>Hermione had intended to spend the night at the Burrow, but then she had changed her mind and had apparated to her own flat.<p>

It was dark and she felt the safety and comfort her flat surrounded her with. For a moment she just stood in the hall and took a deep breath. Tomorrow she would go to the Ministry... No, she had just remembered that tomorrow would be Saturday. Monday, Monday morning first thing she would be getting this marriage she had been coerced into annulled.

There was a sound from the living room. She froze. Should he have dared to invade her privacy and was now waiting for her in her own home? She pulled her wand out and slowly advanced towards the open door in front of her. She paused, peeking carefully into the room. There was a figure standing in front of the fireplace. A fire was burning in the hearth. She frowned. Who would start a fire in August? She had another look and realised that the figure was holding the photo of her and Ron that was always standing on her mantlepiece.

She leant against the wall and tried to decide what to do next. Should she just use a spell like _Petrificus Totalis_ and then floo him to his own home? Or was she actually interested to know why he was here? She had always been curious and it more often than not had got the better of her, just like now.

She jumped into the room and yelled, "Don't move or I'll hex you!"

The figure froze. She looked at him for a moment and then it hit her. The man before her didn't have white-blond hair. His hair was glowing orange-red in the fire light.

"Ron?"

He turned around.

"Hermione? What are you doing here?"

She dropped her wand and threw herself into his arms, crying. He just closed his arms around her in a caring embrace wondering what she was doing here. A moment later he looked suspiciously over her shoulder. Where was the ferret? Shouldn't he be here as well?

For long moments he just held her, letting her cry against his chest. When she finally calmed down a bit they sat down on her couch and he made sure to be able to hold her as tight as possible.

"Hermione, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at the Burrow? At your wedding party?"

She sobbed for another moment before answering in a tear filled voice, "I am getting this marriage annulled. I hate him! He is still the same cruel, cold hearted git he has been all the time we were at school together. I had thought there might be a decent person somewhere underneath all the arrogant façade, but there is not! He is rotten to the core."

"I'm so sorry, Hermione."

She raised her gaze to him.

"Ron, why are _you_ here?"

He blushed, obviously embarrassed.

"I didn't think you would be here tonight and so I wanted to have one last look at everything before I left."

"You would have just left me?"

He sighed.

"Hermione, I love you too much as that I could endure to see you getting married to somebody else, let alone the ferret of all people. I wanted to make it easier for you. If I wouldn't be there, you wouldn't be reminded of the happy times we had."

"Maybe I should have been reminded of our time together. We have been through so much together and I was always happy to be with you."

"You are not happy with him?"

"What do you think? This is my wedding night and I couldn't care less where my so-called husband spends it as long as it is nowhere near me. I'm through with him. This marriage is not going to happen."

"What about the Binding?"

"We got married as we were required. It doesn't say anything about us having to stay married in any of the books you have read, does it?"

He had to think about that for a while. There had been all kinds of horrible things been mentioned, if the Binding partners didn't get married, but it hadn't mentioned anything about them having to stay married. In the past it was probably assumed that once a couple had tied the knot they wouldn't try to untie it again. Trust Hermione to do exactly that!

"What are you going to do after you have got your divorce?"

"I'll go to Australia and find my parents. Hopefully I'll be able to restore their memory and then I'll ask my dad to come back with me to have the proper Reversal Ritual performed."

"You think that that will be necessary?"

"No idea, but I'm not going to take any chances."

She huddled close to his body, finding comfort in the familiar warmth of it and the scent of his aftershave.

"Ron?"

"Yes?"

"Would you come with me?"

He looked at her with a surprised expression.

"You mean to the Ministry?"

"To Australia."

He thought about that for a moment. She was asking him to go away with him? Knowing that Malfoy would probably be seething should he find out about it. He grinned to himself. He would show the ferret how to treat Hermione, how to take care of her like she deserved.

"Yes. I'll come to Australia with you."

* * *

><p>"Harry, have you seen Hermione anywhere?"<p>

"No, and nobody seems to know what has happened to Malfoy either."

Harry and Ginny were standing at the back door of the Burrow and were starting to get worried. Their best friend had vanished and as they were quite sure that she hadn't gone with her husband after the row they witnessed they were starting to wonder where she had got to.

Most of the guests had gone home by now. Only the once that were going to stay the night at the Burrow were still drinking and singing in different parts of the garden and the orchard.

"I reckon, it was Malfoy we heard disapparate." Harry thought aloud.

"And his mother then found Hermione in the garden." Ginny ventured.

"I'd think so."

"You think, she has taken her back to the Manor with her?" There was clear doubt in her voice.

"Hard to believe when the row was about her _not_ wanting to spend any time there ever again."

"You are right."

"Ginny?"

"Yes, Harry?" She smiled at his suggestive gaze.

"Why don't we get back to my place..."

She embraced and kissed him.

"I thought, you'd never ask..." She whispered against his lips.

Without another word he apparated them to Grimmauld Place.

* * *

><p>It was some time past 2 am when Draco finally got up from the steps in the entrance hall of Malfoy Manor and walked upstairs to his own room.<p>

He locked his door and begun to slowly undress. He hesitated for a moment when he caught himself wondering what it would feel like when she would be pulling of his dress robes, unbutton his shirt... He shook his head. That would never happen. He called himself a romantic fool that he had seriously been contemplating the hope of her genuinely being interested in staying with him, being his wife.

Her words had cut him deeper than he had ever thought possible. She didn't think that there was anything worth her efforts of discovering it in him? He was not worth her time? He scowled at the mirror as he brushed his teeth. Why had he been deluding himself that there was something worth _his time_ within her? He spat the toothpaste into the sink. It tasted disgusting tonight.

He put his pajama bottoms on and climbed into bed. He just sat there for quite a while. He had been dreaming of her being here with him. He had been hoping that he might actually find out, if his dreams were accurate. Was her body really as warm and soft as he had imagined it to be? When they had been dancing he had felt her close, but not close enough for his liking. He had told himself to be patient and that his time would come before this night was over.

The night would be over soon and he still didn't know what she felt like. He would never find out now. He sighed. He didn't even get the chance to see her with less than proper dress. He had never seen her without all her clothes on. He would love to. Another sigh. He knew that his mother wouldn't be speaking to him for the next month at least. He could understand that she felt betrayed by his actions, by his inability to make his and her dream come true.

He let himself fall back into his pillows and looked at the canopy of his bed. Would there be ever anybody sharing this bed with him? He doubted it. The fire he still felt burning within him was burning for one girl and for one girl only, Hermione Granger. Or should he dare and call her Hermione Malfoy? She wouldn't let herself be known under that name. She would keep her maiden name. Especially should she be successful and get their marriage annulled. He didn't want her to do that. He wanted her to come to and stay with him. He wanted her to take her time and discover who he really was. He wanted to be worth her time. Even so she had decided he wasn't!

There were tears welling up in his eyes. For the first time ever since he had been three and had fallen of his toy broomstick there were tears slowly making their way over his cheeks. He didn't care to brush them away. He didn't care, full stop. He was past caring. He had been caring for her, for his wife of four hours. That must have been a new record for the shortest marriage ever! He had managed to destroy all that Potter and his mother had been working so hard to accomplish for him in one short heated row.

Then suddenly anger overtook him. He wiped the tears of his face. Who was she that she thought he would have to conform to her wishes? Why was he expected to deny himself just so that she got what she wanted? If she didn't want him the way he was, then tough! He wasn't going to change! He was a Malfoy and proud of it!

And as of tomorrow he would go and meet girls just as his mother had wanted him to do. He would meet girls, another girl every week if he so pleased! He would enjoy himself from now on. And as his wife was going to get their marriage annulled anyway there wouldn't be any reason not to find a bit of fun in the arms of somebody willing. He wouldn't have to think about cheating or committing adultery or any such nonsense. He would be free, truly free for the first time in his life and he would enjoy every single minute of it!


	3. Dearest Wife

Draco was sure he was still dreaming as there was a warm body pressed up against his own. There was a hand laying on his stomach and soft breathing was tickling his ear. He knew, that he had decided to not bother with this so called marriage any longer after the row he had had with his _wife_. Therefore there wouldn't be any warm female body laying next to him in his bed. Once he opened his eyes and was fully awake he would be alone.

Alone... He sighed. It might have been nice to have her in his life. Maybe there was more to Hermione Granger than he knew. Maybe she liked to cook or read poetry or even knit jumpers. He didn't know that much about her really, then again he had never had any incentive to find out anything about her. She had been the Griffindor know-it-all friend of Harry Potter. Why should he have bothered to find out anything about her?

For a moment he contemplated her knowledge of him. No, better not go there. She had made it clear that she didn't want to find out what he was all about. She didn't want to know what made him tick. Fine, she wouldn't find out then. Let's see, if he was bothered about what she thought about him. It irked him to no end, but he found himself being bothered. He wanted her to want to get to know him. She was supposed to be too curious for her own good at times. Not this time it seemed though.

The warm presence next to him was still there. Well, he still had his eyes closed. He would keep it that way for a bit longer. A somewhat unsettling thought invaded his reverie. What, if that person by his side was actually real? Had he left the house again last night? No. He had gone to bed. Alone. He hadn't left his room since then, not if he hadn't sleepwalked to find himself a girl. Highly unlikely.

"Draco."

He nearly opened his eyes when he heard a soft, female voice murmur his name. This couldn't be! It was simple not possible! He was alone in his room, in his bed. All alone!

"I love you, Draco."

That was it! He sat up and opened his eyes. As he had thought, he was alone. There was nobody with him. He groaned. Was he going mental? Or was that some other perverse part of this Merlin forsaken Binding spell? He rubbed his hands over his face.

He looked towards the windows and found that it must have been nearly lunchtime. His mother hadn't send an elf to get him for breakfast. She had always made sure, he was down for breakfast for as long as he could remember. So, this was it then? She wouldn't even call him for meals any longer? She had to be seriously displeased with him, if she... He sighed. He knew all too well that she was more than just angry with him. She had risked her life to try and protect him from the evil schemes of his father and even so things hadn't quite turned out the way she had intended them to, he had got a nice girl for a wife after all. She was intelligent, witty, strong and nobody's fool. He should have been glad not having ended up with some harpy and if he was honest, she didn't look that bad either.

He got out off bed and slowly made his way down to the breakfast room. There was nobody there. He moved to the dining room and found his mother having lunch. The table was laid out for only one person. One person. He stood in the door and stared at the crockery. Did she order the elves not to consider him for lunch? For a moment he felt like he had been declared persona non grata in his own home.

"Mother?"

She looked up. Her eyes cold, uncaring. These weren't the eyes of the woman that had been after him for the past month to do the right thing for once. These were the eyes of a person that wouldn't so much as blink, if he would be mauled by a Hippogryph right in front of her. He shuddered.

"Mother, please."

"I would have thought that the man I called my son has enough sense to see past a lovers' tiff and go and beg his wife to forgive him. The man I see before me feels the urge to sulk and wallow in his self pity. The man I see before me doesn't deserve a wife like the one he was given, he is a disgrace to the name of Malfoy."

With that she carried on eating, ignoring her utterly horrified offspring.

* * *

><p>Hermione felt the warm body next to hers and smiled. It was nice to wake up next to Ron. She had been dreaming about waking up with him next to her. He was wearing only pajama bottoms. For a moment she wondered, why. This was the morning after their wedding night. Her should be... It took her a moment before she realised, that this was the morning after her wedding and that the man next to her should be her husband, Draco Malfoy.<p>

She froze. When did he come to her flat? WHY did he come to her flat? She couldn't remember any of that, but then the happenings of last night came back. She had had a huge row with Draco and then she had been talking to his mother. She had been really sweet. It was the first time she had ever talked to her and she had been a bit apprehensive about it, but she had been really nice. She even had asked Hermione to call her _Mother_,if she could.

Ron. Ron had been in her flat when she returned. He had been wanting to steal one last glance of the place where they had been happy together. He had been understanding, loving. Just like he had always been ever since he had proposed to her. They had talked for a long while and she had told him, that she was through with the Slytherin. That she would get her marriage declared void and she had asked him to come to Australia with him. He had said yes.

For a moment she just lay there, feeling the warm presence of the man next to her in her bed. Was this Ron? It could only be him. She wanted it to be him. She didn't want to wake up next to the monster that had been forced onto her. Should she just open her eyes and check? She was feeling a bit nervous about it for some strange reason. Something deep in the recesses of her mind told her that he would be gone the moment she opened her eyes.

Would that be so bad? She wasn't sure. In a way it was re-assuring to feel this warm body. Regardless of how unsettling it was at the same time. She would have liked to wake up next to him, next to Draco. She beat herself over the head mentally for this thought. Was she seriously loosing her mind here? She was wanting to wake up next to the devil incarnate?Yeah, right! She sat up and opened her eyes. The warm body vanished the same instant.

"Hermione?"

There was a knock on the door.

"Are you awake? I made us lunch."

_That _was Ron. The man she could rely on. The man that didn't think her a burden or hazard to his life style or anything like that. This was the man that loved her, truly loved her.

"Coming."

* * *

><p>Ginny was leisurely running her fingers over the bare chest of <em>her<em> man. He had been just wonderful. She watch him shiver slightly.

"Morning, gorgeous." He muttered into his pillow.

She bend down and kissed his wild hair.

"Morning."

He sighed happily and then opened his eyes. There she was, the woman he loved more than anything else in the world. The woman he would do anything for. Her smile was like pure sunlight on a cloudy day. Though in this very moment a large frown was appearing on her pretty face.

"What is it?"

She looked at him.

"Do you remember how that wedding we attended yesterday ended?"

He propped himself on his elbow and tried to clear his thoughts. They had been hiding in the garden and had then to witness the row...

"Hermione!"

She nodded.

"Yes. I have been just thinking about how that party ended. How nobody has seen bride nor groom after that row. Maybe except for Mrs. Malfoy. Do you think she knows, what has happened to her?"

"Don't know. Should we get involved, Ginny? Again? After the day I had yesterday, I am quite happy to leave her with her new husband and content with the girl in my own bed."

He grinned at her.

"Oh, Harry, be serious."

He sighed.

"Seriously, Ginny, just let them two get on with their own problems. I am not going to do the babysitter for them indefinitely. They are old enough and married enough to be able to deal with their own life."

"I know. It's just that I have this strange feeling."

He looked at her in silence for quite a while. He knew about strange _feelings_! He had been having them for the past month and he had been dead right with them.

"What do you think has happened then?"

"I don't know, but I don't think that they have spend the night together. They are both far too stubborn to give an inch, if they think they are right. Hermione will be hurt, that the ferret has been trying to order her about and he will be angry that she questions his authority. It's bound to get really rocky before they find any way to life with each other."

"I wonder what his mother will do to him, if he is not living up to her expectations."

"What do you mean?"

"She has been going out of her way to make it easy for him. She has tried her best to make sure he gets the girl in the end. And not any girl either, but a smart, good looking one, that isn't afraid to tell him exactly what she is thinking about him."

Ginny thought about that for a moment.

"If I would have done all that for our son and he would just have a big row with his wife on the day of their wedding, I would probably disinherit him should he refuse to do his best to make it up to his wife."

"What are the chances that she had done exactly that?"

"Oh, my! You think she is really going to do that? He is the only heir, the only male Malfoy left."

"Yeah, and he is very proud to be a Malfoy, isn't he?"

"That would really hurt him."

"Enough to get him to apologise to Hermione?"

They were gazing at each other. How likely was it that the proud Slytherin would be groveling before the girl he had been despising for most of his teenage years? They both sighed.

"Just lets forget about it until after the weekend."

He gently kissed her shoulder.

"I second that."

* * *

><p>Draco sat in his room, shell shocked. His mother had called him, <em>him<em>, a disgrace to the name of Malfoy. It had taken several minutes before it had actually sunk in. He was no longer the head of the family. He was not longer regarded a member of it either. He was an outcast.

He got up and paced for a while. It didn't calm him down in any way. His own mother had cast him out. She didn't regard him as her son any longer. He punched the wall, hard. The pain was penetrating his senses, but he preferred to just ignore it.

He went to his desk and looked for a piece of parchment. His hand shook as he was writing.

_Dearest wife!_

_As you have decided not wanting to be with me, there is no point beating about the bush any longer!_

_I would lie, if I said I was ecstatic to be bound to you. I would also lie, would I say that I want you back, because I don't! You have managed to destroy my life, loose me my inheritance, my honour and my name. You can be proud of yourself. You have brought down the century old House of Malfoy in one short month._

_There is nothing left for me any longer. You have taken it all. Congratulations! I might have been mean to you, probably even cruel at times, but I would have never thought of destroying you like you have destroyed me._

_There might have been moments in the past month, when I have been trying to imagine what it would be like to have you in my life. It might have been fun, it might have been wonderful or downright disgusting. I'll never find out now. You might have been worth my time, but as you so clearly stated that I'm not worth yours we'll never know._

_You can go back to Weaselbee and be happy with him. Should there be any papers to sign in order to get our lives disentangled just owl them to me. I'm not going to stand in your way. You want him, you get him._

_No point in signing this letter, as I don't have a name to sign it with any longer._

_P.S.: For the short moment when I was kissing you in the bridal shop I truly loved you._

He folded the parchment and put it in his trouser pocket. He would post it later. Then he packed a small bag with some clothes and his toothbrush before he disapparated.

* * *

><p>Narcissa Malfoy sat in the library and stared at the book in her hands. She didn't allow herself to cry no matter how much she felt like it. She had stopped crying the night she had been told that she was going to be Lucius Malfoy's wife.<p>

She had lost her husband, which she wasn't sorry about. Now she had also sent her only child away, she was rather sorry about it. She could have just let him get away with his behaviour, but she had been to lenient with him for too long. He needed to grow up. He needed to see, that he couldn't just boss other people about. Her hopes for him had been utterly destroyed. There had been this wonderful young woman willing to take him, over time she would have probably learnt to love him as well. They would have had a future together. She would have been his future. His key to happiness.

None of her hopes would ever become true now. He had managed to drive the one person away that was right for him. Narcissa had seen the hurt in the eyes of the young woman. She had been hurt badly. It wouldn't be easy for her son to repair this kind of damage, if he could repair it at all. Then a somewhat disquieting thought arose. Was Draco actually interested in winning her back? Was he actually planning to make it up to Hermione? She wasn't sure. The fear within her whispered of him being unwilling to do so. That he would prefer to freeze to death in a world devoid of any human warmth directed at him rather than to admit that he had been wrong, that he might have been too hasty in his reactions.


	4. What kind of Muggle stuff?

**A/N Thanks to all the have reviewed so far! Much appreciated!**

**If all that have read this story, but haven't reviewed yet, could review as well, that really would make my day!**

**So enjoy and, PLEASE, review! **

* * *

><p>Draco slowly walked the few steps to Gringotts in order to get some gold. He would be finding himself a place and... Whom was he trying to kid here? He had no intention to stay in London. Going by his recent luck he would probably bump into <em>her<em> every other day. He wasn't in the mood for that. He would find himself a place to stay somewhere, maybe in Paris or Nantes. He hadn't been there in ages. Or maybe some place he hadn't been yet? The northern part of Europe was a relative unknown entity for him. So maybe he would give Copenhagen, Hamburg, Oslo or Stockholm a try. It should be fun to flirt with the Viking descendants.

It took him all but twenty minutes to get his money. Standing on the steps of the wizarding bank he looked along Diagon Alley. It was the end of July and there were quite a few tourists about. He noticed also quite a few parents that were shopping for schoolbooks and other supplies for their children. For a moment he entertained the thought that he might have been doing school stuff shopping for his own kids one day. Might have being the imperative here. He was not going to now. He sighed, feeling empty.

Somewhere deep within him was still the hope to be able to win back what he had lost. He made sure it was buried again. He didn't have a name, home or future any longer and he didn't want to care either. He just wanted to forget. Forget that he had been stupid enough to get his hopes up yesterday about his life having maybe something wonderful in store for him for a change. Forget about the things that might have been, but never would be now. Most of all he wanted to forget that he had been stupid enough to allow himself to develop feelings for a certain witch.

With another big sigh he stepped of the marble that was part of the bank's big entrance and walked slowly to the nearest post office.

He paid a bit extra to make sure that the owl would deliver only to the addressee. Nobody else was to take the letter of the feathery messenger.

Next he went to nearest street vendor selling the Daily Prophet. He had one look at the front page and found that the headlines were about some dragon egg theft in South Wales. He slowly leafed through the paper scanning it for any mention of his recent marriage, but drew a blank. There wasn't a word of it in the paper. He sighed in relief. Maybe his nuptials would stay private long enough for his dear wife to get the annulment she was aiming for, before word got out.

He entered a little tea room, ordered some Darjeeling and took his time to read the paper properly this time.

He was halfway through as his gaze hit the wizards and witches passing in front of the shop. There was a ginger head near a mop of curls shining in warm brown. His stomach was in knots within seconds and he nearly spilled his tea all over himself.

He lowered the newspaper he was now hiding behind just enough to be able to see without being seen. No doubt. That was his wife and her ex. Walking arm in arm down Diagon Alley in broad daylight. The cheek of it! He did his utmost to suppress the urge he was feeling to rip Weasley's head off. How could she be so uncaring? So... so...? Words failed him. It had been only just over twelve hours ago, that he had left her in the gardens belonging to the Weasleys and she was back with him already!

The respect he had felt for the other wizard upon reading his note yesterday was gone in a flash. That git seemed to have been lurking somewhere in the background ready to strike at the first opportunity. That bastard! Draco felt like storming out into the street and hexing Weasley with anything and everything he knew in respect to really nasty hexes and he knew quite a few!

"More tea, dear?"

The voice of the lady owning the teashop pulled him back to reality. He looked into her friendly smiling face. She was old enough to be his great-grand mother.

He cleared his throat, "No, thanks, I'm fine."

Another big smile and she bustled off to the next table. He looked outside again, but the reason for his anger and irritation had vanished from view.

'Time for something a bit stronger than tea!' he decided and went to find the nearest pub.

* * *

><p>It was the second bottle of Firewhiskey that he was about to empty and he had lost count of the small glasses with the weird Muggle stuffs ages ago. The table before him was littered with glasses and his head was blissfully empty.<p>

He leant back and looked around. This was one of the more disreputable pubs in Diagon Alley. Though still a lot more upmarket from some of the place he had heard of further down in Knockturn Alley. There were not that many people around as yet. Was probably still too early. What time was it? Draco didn't know nor did he care.

There was somebody coming straight towards him. Somebody dark. Did he know any dark folks? He chuckled. He had known the Dark Lord, the bastard. Had ruined his life, had he. Marked him like common cattle, that evil...

His head suddenly became to heavy to hold up and he just let it fall onto the table.

"Draco? What are you doing here?"

There was no answer forthcoming. Two cupboard sized wizards were approaching and grabbed the drunken Malfoy heir. They looked at their boss.

"Bring him upstairs into my office."

They dragged him non too gentle up a narrow flight of stairs, opened a door and deposited their load onto a large couch in the corner. The dark skinned wizard had followed them. He nodded and they left, closing the door behind them.

"Draco, mate! Why are you sitting drunk in my pub at three in the afternoon? Shouldn't you be on a Quidditch pitch or enjoying the amenities of the Manor?"

"Whaas Manor?"

"What has happened to you, man?"

"Grannyger."

"What?"

It took about half an hour and several not necessarily legal potions until Draco was at least sober enough to recognise that he was speaking to Blaise Zabini.

The fellow Slytherin had been trying to explain, that he had won the pub in a game of cards, but had given up as he wasn't willing to explain what the words _card_ and _game _meant in detail. He had taken a chair from the front of his desk to sit next to the still on the couch lounging Draco.

"Okay, mate, why are you here? Why have you drunk enough to get an elephant plastered and what happened to your hand?"

Draco blinked, too many questions and not enough time to process them all. Blaise waited. After fife minutes he gave up. Seemingly he would need to take this really slow, if he wanted to find out what had happened to reduce a man like his friend to this kind of state.

"What has happened to your hand?"

Simple questions first. He could see the intricate gold and silver pattern in Draco's left palm shimmering against its crimson background as well as the delicate silver threads that were winding around his left ring finger. It was a really fine piece of art. The tattoo artist that had done this was worth his weight in gold. It was superb craftsmanship.

"Binding spell."

Blaise blinked. His friend had been involved into this strange British custom? Having grown up in Italy he had heard of this tradition. Being aware of it only being performed amongst the pureblood families he had long suspected that some of his former house mates would have been effected by it. He would never in his life have guess Draco being one of the poor beggars having there future gambled away by their parents though. Then again, Lucius Malfoy was exactly the type of father who would try to form alliances by using his heir as price.

There was a long pause. The sober wizard was trying to recall everything he knew about the Binding spell. The only thing he could remember was the fact, that the couple bound to each other would have to get married on their 21st birthday and that these marriages couldn't be divorced. He grinned. Which of the girls in their year might he have been lumbered with? Pansy? That would be bad. Or Millicent? That would be even worse!

"Who's the lucky girl?"

The glare he got for this question convinced him that it had to be Millicent.

"Millicent then, I guess?"

Draco tried to get up, stumbled and fell back onto the couch.

"Woah, mate! Take it easy."

Another death glare.

"So I guess it's not Millicent then. That just leaves Pansy."

"Don't be daft!"

Not her either? Then who?

"Who then? Who did get you into this state?"

"Granny... Graaange... Geerr."

"Who?"

Scowling. He slowly condensed Draco's still somewhat slurred speed and arrived at... No way! Not _her _surely?

"You are drunk! You don't know what you are saying."

"I know who the harpy is!"

"Okay, okay. So, you are telling me that you have been bound to Hermione Granger?"

Slow nodding. If he nodded to fast, his head might fall off.

"Was your old man out off his mind? Why on earth would he bind his pride and joy to a Muggle born?"

"He didn't."

Blaise felt the sudden urge for a drink himself. He had the funny feeling he would need it, if he intended to find out what exactly had happened.

He went over to his desk and got a small flat bottle filled with dark amber liquid. He sat back down and looked at Draco for a long while. The one man he would have sworn wouldn't get involved with any woman seriously before the age of at least forty was bound. Not just married, but bound. Doomed to spend his life in a prison worse than Azkaban.

"Who did bind you then?"

"Mother did."

He knew Mrs. Malfoy. She was a very sensible woman and probably the only one who loved her twisted-minded son unconditionally. Probably.

"Why?"

"So Father couldn't do it."

Made sense. It didn't explain though why it had to be Granger of all girls.

"Why Granger?"

"Her father happened to meet my mother."

Blaise sighed. At this rate it would take him until midnight before he had got all the information out off Draco.

"And you did know about this? Was that why you were so horrid to her at school., because you knew she would become your darling wife one day?"

He was growled at this time.

"I didn't know. And if her father was around, we could have got this... this... spell reversed."

"Where is her dad?"

"Australia."

"What in the world for?"

"She sent her parents away so that Voldemort wouldn't get to them."

"She is smart, I give her that, but why didn't she just call him back? Or did she secretly want to be your dearest...?" There was a huge smirk appearing on his face.

Draco didn't answer. His head was starting to hurt and there was another weird feeling starting to spread somewhere around his groin.

"Draco? You okay?"

"What was in these potions?"

"Why? Any side effects?"

"Not sure."

"There shouldn't be. I take them myself after a heavy night, never had any problems before."

The dark skinned wizard gave him a scrutinising look.

"What?"

"How much have you actually drunk, Draco?" There was a concerned edge to the question.

"Don' know. Lots. Large classes, small glasses,. Muggle stuff?"

"What kind of Muggle stuff?"

"Clear stuff?" Draco was quite sure he had ordered whatever sounded weirdest on the list.

"What was it? Tequila, Korn, Aquavit, Schnaps? What?"

"All of it?"

Blaise groaned, trying to keep level headed.

"Draco, listen to me! With this much alcohol in your system you probably have alcohol poisoning. Not even my best potions can combat the amount you must have drunk."

"Oh?"

His friend just sighed and started to develop a soft tinge of pink all over his face. Blaise was quite sure that _that _wasn't supposed to happen. He stood up and pulled the other man from the couch.

"You are going St. Mungo's. I'm not having you die on me here on my own couch."

"I'm...fine." His head had started spinning.

"No, you are not!" Blaise hoisted him up and tried to get a good grip of him so that he could apparate them both. "Keep still, will you!"

* * *

><p>Ron and Hermione had enjoyed a late lunch at the Leaky Cauldron and were now heading down Diagon Alley hand and hand, smiling. This was the way it was supposed to be. She was supposed to be with the man she had grown up with. The man whom she had been secretly in love with for ages before he caught on.<p>

They stopped at Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour. Hermione had been glad when it had re-opened after the war as she had always been rather partial to the chocolate and hazelnut ice cream sold there.

Licking each others ice creams they continued their walk. It was sunny and it was lovely to watch all the other members of the wizarding community milling about. They went down a small side street into a small well hidden park. Seated on a bench they just enjoyed each other's company.

Ron sighed.

"You know, I would have never thought, that I would be doing this with you again."

He turned to face her.

"I had thought, I lost you for good."

"So did I."

She smiled, feeling a bit embarrassed as she recalled just giving up on the man she had loved for the past seven years. She had rolled over and willingly married a man she had hated for as long as she knew him.

Lost in thoughts she stared over the flowerbeds in front of her. Why had she given up so easily? Why didn't she have the guts to fight for Ron? Why had she allowed Draco Malfoy to lure her into something she would have never accepted, if it hadn't been for the Binding? She didn't want him in her life. She didn't need him in her life! She would get this farce of a marriage annulled and then she would be getting married to Ron. The one man she knew she could rely on.

His fingers gently brushed over hers. She smiled at him. He was leaning closer. She felt strangely light headed. His lips were mere inches away from hers. There was a bizarre tingling all over her body. His sweet breath was on her cheek. Any moment now he would kiss her...

"Hermione? Are you okay?"

She felt herself lying on the bench, being held tightly in strong, supportive arms. Hermione slowly opened her eyes and saw Ron's worried looking face over her.

"What happened? You suddenly fainted?"

"Did I?" She couldn't remember.

"Yeah. I was about to kiss you and you just slipped away. It was a bit frightening."

She sat up. What was wrong with her? She had never fainted before. Why now? Gently fingers were stroking over her cheek.

"You think, it might be safer to get your divorce first?"

Her head was still spinning, but she nodded. She didn't know what would happen to her, if she tried to... Commit adultery was a ludicrous thought in these circumstances. She wasn't committed to her... she didn't even want to think the word _husband_ in connection to Draco Malfoy. Maybe she should be _admitted_ to the psychiatric ward at St. Mungo's. Her behaviour in the last day or two would most definitely qualify her for it.

She looked at her right hand. The pattern in her palm had been joined by an intricate pattern of gold threads covering most of her right ring finger. She could just hope that all this would vanish with her divorce as well.

* * *

><p>Ron and Hermione had spend the rest of the weekend together but very aware of the issue of not being able to do all the things they had been doing as a couple in the past. They had read together, listened to the wireless and had spend most of Sunday afternoon with a long walk through the countryside around the Burrow.<p>

Mrs. Weasley had been more than a bit surprised to learn that she was going to get Hermione as a daughter-in-law after all., just a bit later than expected. She had been about to ask what had happened and where Draco was, but a glance at the face of her youngest son made her realise that any questions would have to wait.

They hadn't seen Ginny or Harry, but he refrained from asking after them as they assumed that they would be spending the weekend together as well.

Hermione was no sure, if he should be thankful for what Harry had done for her or, if he qualified for a good hexing the next time he saw him. She was somewhat in two minds about it.

Monday morning found Ron at his fiancé's place taking a very cold shower. It had taken him all his will power to keep his hands of the delicious witch he had slept next to. He had never been good in denying his urges and being engaged to his best friend at seen his cold shower usage rise quite dramatically. She was far too gorgeous and way too sexy for her own good.

"Hi, Ron."

She breathed into the kitchen and kissed his cheek. She looked divine even so she was wearing a simple skirt, t-shirt, trainers and had her hair in a ponytail.

"Morning, love." He grinned as he poured her a cup of tea. "Are we going to the Ministry straight after breakfast?

"Yeah. The sooner this nightmare is over the better."

She sat down and sipped her tea, her thoughts wandering to the dreams she had been trying to push away all night long. She had found herself in a room she had never seen before and to her utter amazement she had been lying in a huge bed. Waiting for somebody. She had known whom she was waiting for, but somehow she couldn't quite remember. She had seen him approach in stunned silence. He had been starkers and she had loved to watch him move! There had been a huge smirk on his face. She had blushed, but never averted her eyes. And then...

"...Tinsel we are going to see first?"

Hermione looked at the fully dressed person right in front of her, sitting at her kitchen table. Ron. Ron? It hadn't been Ron that had been swaggering towards her. No, it had been... She turned a violent crimson within seconds.

Ron's cup of tea suddenly stopped halfway to his mouth.

"Hermione? Everything okay?"

She could only nod. She had been dreaming of the ferret again. Enjoying every moment of it! She groaned, placing her head into the hands.

"Are you sure, that you are okay?"

Another nod. She needed this resolved! ASAP!

* * *

><p>They arrived at the Ministry for Magic and a lo of people they knew were congratulating them. t was all rather awkward, as they didn't want to make their situation public knowledge. They reached the Department for the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts was housing and Hannah smiled at them broadly.<p>

"Congratulations!" She shook both their hands. "I wouldn't have thought you would be coming in today Hermione. Being on honeymoon and everything."

"Yes, well. Alas I have to see Mr. Tinsel again before I can go on my honeymoon. Things have turned out to be a bit more complicated than expected."

"Oh? But you are okay?"

"Yeah, everything is going just as it should be." She smiled widely at the wizard behind her.

"It's just...," Hannah looked a bit unsure about how to convey the news she clearly wanted to impart to her boss.

"What is it, Hannah?"

"I heard, they have taken Mr. Tinsel to St. Mungo's. Seems he had a nervous breakdown on Friday afternoon down at the reception."

"Oh?"

"Yes. It took two of the watch wizards to overpower him."

"Merlin's beard! What had happened to him. Was the work with the Binding spell victims too much for him after all?"

"It seems that way. Nobody knows, when he will be back."

There was a pause. Hermione heard all the alarm bells in the whole of Greater London ringing in her head. If Mr. Tinsel was off work for an unknown time span, who was then supposed to deal with his workload? Who was now checking purebloods wanting to marry? Who was organising the Reversal Rituals?"

"Hannah," Hermione looked at the other woman with a very guarded look" who is taking over from Mr. Tinsel, while he is off sick?"

"I don't know. I've heard that the Minister is frantically looking for a replacement, but as yet... No luck."

Ron was lucky to catch her as she fainted.


	5. It's complicated

**A/N life is catching up with me in the moment, so I don't have as much time to write as I would like.**

**Nevertheless, enjoy the next chapter and please REVIEW.**

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><p>Hermione woke up with a feeling of utter despair in her heart. She had been thinking that it would be easy to rid her life of the biggest mistake she had ever made. Apparently not. She was stuck with that Merlin damned ferret for the time being. Seething anger was coursing through her veins now. She wanted to hit somebody, him if she possibly could. This evil bastard! Luring her into a marriage he must have known couldn't be resolved as the man responsible for it had just gone round the twist. She felt like screaming.<p>

"Are you feeling okay, Hermione?"

It was Ron's soft voice. She kept her eyes shut, not wanting him to see the inner turmoil she was feeling. She wanted to take revenge! Revenge so utterly destroying that the target of her vengeance would be left as broken as she felt right now. He would pay for this! She would make him pay!

"Hermione?"

That was Hannah's voice. She sighed and slowly opened her eyes after all. There were their worried faces.

"Is everything okay?"

Ron run his fingers over her cheek with visible uncertainty. She tried to smile. He hadn't done anything to her. He had been considerate, kind and understanding. He had told her he would wait until she got her predicament sorted and then he would take her to a romantic place where he would marry her and this time nothing and nobody would be able to stop him from doing so. She would be his wife. His!

Hermione sat up and stretched. There was a rather strange expression on her face he had never seen before. It didn't look like an expression that would belong on her face somehow. It looked hard, unrelenting and determined. For a moment Ron thought he was looking at the female version of Malfoy's face. It had the same unyielding strength on it. The moment passed and he saw the sweet and caring girl again that he loved.

"I'll got you some tea."

Hannah handed her a large mug of steaming tea.

"Thanks, Hannah."

"You're welcome."

While Hermione sipped her tea the receptionist quietly left the room, closing the door behind her.

She had been sitting only for a few minutes at her desk as a rather regal looking woman with a kind smile was standing at her desk.

"Yes? Can I help you?"

"I would like to speak to Hermione Mal... Granger, please."

Hannah looked at the older woman for a moment. She had been on the verge of calling Hermione by her married name, but then hadn't done so after all, she had chosen to used her maiden name. Though... Hannah suddenly stumbled over the fact, that she hadn't started Weas- but Mal-. What was going on here?

"I'm not sure, that Hermione will see anybody right now. She had a rather... exhausting morning."

The older woman looked at her with an expression that clearly conveyed the fact of her not being willing to leave before she had seen the witch in question. Hannah sighed.

"I'll check, if she'll see you."

"Thank you." There was a genuine smile on her face now.

Hannah got up.

"Whom shall I say wants to see her?"

There was a pause. The young witch frowned. Was that a problem?

"Just tell her that _his mother_ is wanting to see her. She'll known, what it is about."

Surprise was the only answer to this, but then she walked over to Hermione's office. She knocked and stuck her head in.

"There is a woman wanting to see you, Hermione. She says, she is _his mother_. Does that mean anything to you?"

The colour of her face was loosing some of the colour it had just regained. She took a deep breath. His mother was here? That didn't bode well.

"Yes, show her in."

"Okay."

Ron looked at the woman before him.

"Why are you going to speak to her?"

"Because she is my mother-in-law should you have forgotten. It must be important, if she comes here to see me after the debacle on Friday."

She stroked his cheek gently.

"Don't worry. She is really nice. I have spoken to her before."

"Okay..." He didn't sound the least bit convinced.

"Hermione."

Narcissa stood at the door and observed the scene before her. Her daughter-in-law sat close to one of the Weasley sons. It was rather obvious that they were close, very close.

"Can I talk to you?" She looked at Ron. "Alone?"

Ron didn't move.

"It's okay, really."

He got up, walked towards the door and gave the older witch a glare as he passed. She didn't respond. The door was shut with a small _-click-_.

"I am sorry, that things have not gone as one should have hoped they would."

Draco's mother had sat down next to Hermione on the couch.

"I have to tell you that you will find my son being a rather proud and... shall we say, stubborn, young man. He has a lot more trouble coping than I would have expected. The influence of his father during his formative years is alas not helping either.

Draco has never been taught that all his actions have consequences and that he will be required to take responsibility for his actions and the ensuing consequences. I was forced to make sure, he learns this lesson once and for all."

Hermione was holding her breath. What had his mother done to him? How had he been... No, she didn't think, she really wanted to know any details of the punishment he might have had to endure. For a moment she felt actually sorry for him. He had been spoiled for most of his life. That was until his father was roped back into the fold of Lord Voldemort. His life had certainly been turned upside down then.

"I am not sure, I understand."

"I have disinherited my son. He is no longer a Malfoy and therefore no longer able to either wear this name or claim anything in connection with it for himself. I am sorry."

There was no answer from her shocked daughter-in-law. She had disinherited him? Taking his name and everything that was his?

"Why? He is not that bad, surely. I know, he can be a right foul git, sorry for being so blunt, but I am sure he hasn't deserved this kind of punishment."

"You think nor?"

"No. He has been horrible to me for as long as I can remember, but he is not just a spoiled prat. He can be kind and gently as well."

"He was kind and gently to you?"

"Yes. No..."

Narcissa Malfoy's face didn't show the smile she would have liked it to show, not yet. So, the girl had been able to see past the misdemeanours of her offspring. That meant she would probably be willing to stick with him, if presented with the right circumstances. Not everything was lost after all. She sighed lightly.

"So, you would still be willing to be his wife, even so he can't even offer you a name any longer?"

"No!"

"Why not? Because of the argument you had?"

"No, yes. It's complicated. He would never want to be with me, if he didn't know that he could boss me about all the time. He wants somebody that does as he tells them to do. I'm not that kind of person."

"I am glad, you are not. If you were, there would be no hope for my son to ever become a decent human being!"

Hermione opened her mouth to answer, blinked and then closed it again. Had his mother just told her that she was the key to Draco becoming a decent person? She? Narcissa smiled openly this time.

"You see, Hermione, my son doesn't need a girl by his side that can be easily intimidated, frightened or bullied. He needs somebody that tells him when he is wrong. A girl that has enough courage to hit him when necessary to make him see reason. My daughter-in-law needs to have the confidence to deny him anything and everything he craves, if he doesn't deserve to get it. For whatever reason.

You, dear, are the one witch that has ever dared to stand up to him. You didn't care about the consequences, when you knew that he wanted you to do something that wasn't right for you. Even on your wedding day.

I am proud to have you as my daughter-in-law."

To Hermione's utter amazement the older witch leant towards her, kissed her forehead and then got up off the couch.

As she reached the door she turned, smiled and said, "Please don't give up on him just yet."

* * *

><p>Ron was looking at the excited owl that was hoping up and down on the small perch on Hannah's desk. He had tried to take the letter of it, but it had bitten him. Twice. What could be so important that somebody had sent his girlfriend a message to be only delivered personally to the addressee?<p>

Before he could try to persuade the owl to relinquish its letter, he heard a door opening and the owl was on its way again. He followed it with his gaze and saw that Mrs. Malfoy had just left Hermione's office. She smiled at Hannah as she passed, but didn't took any notice of him.

He found Hermione with the letter the owl had delivered. Her face had lost its colour.

"What is it?"

She shook her head, crumpled the letter into a ball and put it into her pocket. Ron sat next to her.

"Is everything okay, Hermione?"

She looked at him with a wary gaze. There was something there he couldn't quite fathom. Something had happened. Something must have been sat, something that got her into this state.

"Please tell me. What has she said to you? What was in that letter?"

There was a single tear running down her cheek. He stroked it gently away. She got up and walked over to her desk.

"Ron, I can't do this. I can't do any of this any longer."

He followed her. His hands were slowly rubbing her upper arms.

"Whatever it is, you can tell me."

She slowly turned. Uncertainty written all over her face.

"I might have to stay married to him for a while longer."

It wasn't a lie. She didn't want to lie to Ron, but she couldn't tell him, that her mother-in-law thought her the only chance Draco had to become a decent person after all. She couldn't tell him, that the letter had reminded her of the kiss she had shared with the man she used to loath. The kiss in a bridal shop while she had been wearing her wedding dress and being clueless as to whom she had really been kissing.

It had been just wonderful. He had been wonderful. She knew that somewhere deep down he was a decent person. He could be charming, tender and caring. He was also harsh, intimidating, arrogant and cruel, a man full of opposites. For a moment she cursed the fact, that she was a Griffindor through and through. Her noble streak told her to hold on to him, to give him a chance to proof himself. She was strong and courageous enough to take him on. She had fought Voldemort. Draco was nothing in comparison. Or was he?

He could touch her heart and break it, something Voldemort would have never been able to do. He had inflicted pain, had his followers inflict pain, but it had been soulless. The Slytherin she was dealing with had a soul and that made him a lot more dangerous than the Dark Lord had ever been. The man she was bound to could make her suffer like nobody else would be able to. Was she really willing to put her own soul on the line for him?

Ron's soft lips were bringing her back to reality. She turned to him and smiled.

"Let's go home." She whispered.

"Yes, let's go home."

* * *

><p>Blaise was visiting his friend the third day running. The healer had explained to him that they had to drain all of Draco's blood and replace it with Blood-Replenishing Potion bit by bit in order to get all the alcohol out off his system. He was lucky to be alive. If he hadn't been brought to St. Mungo's he would have died within hours.<p>

The dark skinned wizard sat on the chair next to the bed and read the latest edition of the Daily Prophet. He had been paying especial attention to any mention of Draco and Granger, but didn't find anything, which was odd. Their involvement should have made front page news, but there was not a word about it. Had he just been pulling his leg, Blaise was starting to wonder. Then again, the marking on his left hand was proof that something had happened to him. The Binding...

A grin was spreading over his features. Did his father know about this one? Malfoy senior would have a fit, if he found out the mother to the next generation was a Muggle born. Then again, whatever his take was on things happening these days didn't really come into it any longer as his life would be spend in Azkaban for the rest of his miserable existence. A life sentence instead of being soulless. He should be glad he was still alive.

Draco stirred. Blaise looked at the pale face. The white-blond hair was tousled and for a moment he understood, why girls were swooning all over his friend even so he hadn't the nicest personality. He was good looking that much was true, especially if he didn't open his mouth to say anything malicious, but the demons lurking in that mind... Should Granger actually have been bound to him she would have a hell of a life from now on. Poor girl.

"Blaise?"

"Yeah, mate?"

"What happened?"

"How much do you remember?"

There was a lengthy pause. Blaise started to wonder, if his friend had fallen asleep again, when a rough voice interrupted his thoughts.

"I've been drinking. A lot. Then you showed up. There were potions. After that... No idea."

"You still privy to the reason for you getting drunk to about an inch of death in the first place?"

Another pause. There were look staring gazes at his hand, followed by a heavy sigh.

"Granger."

"Care to tell me, what exactly has happened to you two? You said something about being bound to her. That your mother did it and you didn't know. Her dad is in Australia and there is a chance to get it reversed."

Another long sigh.

"I'm married to Granger."

Blaise was glad he was already sitting. Being bound and having a chance of getting it reversed was one thing, but marriage?

"How did she get you to marry her?"

"She didn't."

"Ah?"

"I did..."

Right. Draco had to have some permanent damaged from the alcohol. There was no way that he would... Not Granger, surely.

"You seriously telling me that it was you, who made sure she married you?"

"Yes."

"Why, for Merlin's sake?"

Draco looked at his friend. He had been growing up away from the insanity that had been raging around the time of Voldemort's first demise. Blaise had always had the advantage of being more on the outside then the inside of British pureblood society. Nobody expected him to conform to all the time honoured traditions. Sometimes he had envied his friend. He was smart, good looking and had a way with the girls, but most importantly he was not associated with the Death Eaters in any way. He was untainted. In contrast to Draco.

"You know what happens when the both Binding partners have turned 21?"

This was answered with a shaking head.

"No? I'll tell you. Pain. Pain so unimaginable that having the Cruciatus Curse performed on you is a piece of cake in comparison."

A face showing traces of shock looked at him.

"She is nine month older than me. So, the moment I turned 21 the game was up. We had exactly two month to get married or the Pain would begin. I'm no stranger to pain, but I am not a masochist either. If I have the choice between ignoring Granger for the rest of my life and soul burning pain I'll put up with her."

Somehow Blaise found himself not quite believing his friend. The most part was probably true, but his reason for getting together with the bookworm just didn't rung true all the same.

"She is smart enough not wanting to spend her days in pain, I'm sure, but Draco, she would have found a way out, because she is _smart_."

Waiting for a response he leant back in his chair.

"The wizard performing the Reversal cocked it up. It didn't work."

Ah, this started to make more sense now.

"So, you didn't actually want her after all. Circumstances, shall we say, just conspired against you?"

Sighing from the bed.

"Draco, that girl wouldn't get married to any guy she didn't have feelings for. She's a Griffindor. The pride isn't getting married to escape pain. They are getting married for love!"

The words hung in the room. Both men could feel that Blaise had just voiced the one reason this whole disaster had ensued: Draco and Granger felt something for each other. If they wanted to admit it, was of no consequence.

"She loves you and you love her, mate."


	6. One of its more carnal aspects

Warm fingers were slowly moving from her ankle upwards. They reached her knee, drew small circles on the back of it. Gently, so very gently, it was like the touch of a feather. She moaned softly. As the caress reached her thighs she couldn't stop herself any longer. She tried to catch the hand that so deliciously tormented her. Long fingers were found by hers.

She felt soft lips on the side of her neck, trailing a path of hot desire to her own. The tip of his tongue played with the corner of her mouth. She turned her head to capture it. Without hesitation...

Hermione lay in her bed, eyes wide open, heart racing, breath ragged. She tried to remember what she had been dreaming, but knew all too well that she didn't really want to know. She could feel her body tingle. The same tingling that had started around tea time and had been trying to take over her body. She knew desire when she felt it, but this was way beyond normal desire. She seemed to be incapable of thinking straight any longer. It threatened to take over her emotions and body.

Next to her Ron was muttering in his sleep. She looked at the alarm clock on her bedside table. She groaned. This was the second time she woke up this night because of these... cravings and it wasn't even five yet. She sighed, took a deep breath and closed her eyes again.

Grey eyes were fixed onto hers. There was danger hiding behind this stare. He would accept only one answer and it wasn't _no_. His naked body covered hers. She felt it, knew it, breathed it. There was no way for her to escape. She felt him in places she didn't want to think about feeling him. She tried to will him to look away, close his eyes, anything. It was futile. He held her gaze as he...

"AAAAAA!"

She sat in her bed. She was safe.

"Hermione?"

There was a hand on her shoulder. She shrieked. The hand vanished and Ron's face appeared in her line of vision. She groaned.

"Oh, Merlin! It's you, Ron."

"Of course it's me."

He started to rub her back,

"Is everything okay? You seem to be dreaming a lot of weird stuff."

She turned to face him fully.

"Weird stuff? What do you mean?"

His face reddened.

"Like you were having some really..." The rest was drowned in mumbling.

"Some really what?"

"...dreams..."

She suddenly realised, that she might have been making the sounds fitting to her dreams not only in her dreams. Blushing deeply she turned away.

"Hermione? What is happening? Has this anything to do with the Binding?"

She tried to think for a moment. There had been something in the book Malfoy had sent her, but she couldn't quite remember. What had it been? Something about passion always finding a way or some rubbish like that? Might not have been rubbish after all.

"I need to check something."

With Ron's perplexed looking face turned to her she climbed out off bed and went into the living room. Where did she put that book? She rummaged through a pile of books next to the couch. No, these were all just normal ones. In the desk maybe? No luck there either. She went into the kitchen. Half hidden under a Daily Prophet lay the small volume she was looking for. Leafing through the empty page it took her a moment to find the only text left in it.

_There will be the time, when the bond desires to be consummated and neither party will be able to resist the urge to do just that._

She looked at the page. The bond desires to be consummated... She didn't know, if she should tell Ron about this or not. She didn't know, if _he_ knew about this. He had sent her the book. He knew! She closed her eyes and let her head sink down on her chest. What was she going to do? Wasn't it bad enough that she was bound and married to the one man she would never want to get close to ever again?

The book slipped from her hands as she felt her body start to shiver. There was this feeling again. The feeling of his hand slowly moving over her body in a tantalising caress. Her breath caught in her throat. She slowly sunk to the floor while fighting the urge to moan. She could feel the tip of a single finger snake slowly over her tummy. Goosebumps were covering her. Her head slumped against the table leg. The warm feeling in her stomach spread throughout her body. It made her feel like being burnt from the inside.

Helplessly she could only allow herself to be swept away by the desire surging through her, claiming any trace of reason that was still left.

* * *

><p>Blaise looked at his friend with a seriously worried expression on his dark features. Draco had been starting to moan and groan in the early evening of yesterday. First he had thought he was in pain. It had taken a while before he realised just what kind of <em>pain<em> was plaguing the other wizard. That was when he had started to howl like a wounded animal, alarming the whole ward in the space of about ten minutes. Nothing seemed to be able to calm him down. Not even the strongest potion available in the whole of St. Mungo's. Finally he had to be physically restrained as not even a binding charm would hold him.

At this point Blaise had sent an owl to Mrs. Malfoy, who arrived within minutes of having received the letter. The worried face that greeted her as she approached her son's friend told her that something had happened, something serious.

"Mrs. Malfoy."

"Blaise. What has he done? Why is he here?"

"I found him in a pub, utterly drunk. That was Saturday at lunchtime. He was close to dying from alcohol poisoning, actually, so I brought him here. He was fine until last night."

The young man wasn't quite sure how to explain to the mother of his friend what had happened next. It was somewhat embarrassing.

"I can imagine what happened next. The Binding executed one of its more... carnal aspects, shall we say."

Nodding. A loud scream from Draco's room turned their heads.

"There is only one thing, that will help him. And her."

Blaise didn't know what to say. The woman before him smiled in resignation.

"Alas, he is not the only one that will be in this kind of a state right now, his wife is as well."

The word _wife_ in connection with Draco sounded strange to say the least.

"As I need to have a serious word with my son, I have to ask you to find her. I trust you know Hermione Granger? She was at school with both of you."

"Yes, I know her."

"Good. Go and find her. Bring her here and it doesn't matter how you do that as long you bring her."

Blaise hesitated. He had no idea where to find her or how.

"Where..."

"Go to Ministry, Department for the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts, the receptionist will be able to tell you, where to find her."

"Okay."

He disapparated.

Narcissa entered her son's room and was treated to a view she would have never contemplated possible before. There were two inch wide, heavily padded metal shackles attached to his wrists and ankles. He was thrashing around, trying to break free. He face was a grimace of pain, determination and... There was no hiding it, lust. She sighed. She had hoped the marriage would prevent this from happening, but the magic engulfing him and his girl was unrelenting. If they were wanting to survive they would need to consummate their union. Would either of them be still lucid enough to make a concious decision about it? She could only hope for it.

She sat next to his bed.

"Draco?"

He glared at her.

"I would have preferred not having to see you in a state like this, but as it is there is only one thing you can do now."

"I can't do anything any longer!" He growled.

"When Hermione arrives I want you to try your best. Please, try not to make it any worse for her."

"For her?" He yelled. "What about me? I'm shackled like an animal and all you think about is her."

"You are shackled like an animal, because you didn't accept your responsibilities before. Now you will have to. You are a married man, if you like it or not. There is no going back and until you do what I tell you for once you and your lovely wife will not see the end of this week."

Her words took a moment to penetrate his raging mind.

"What do you mean?"

"You two will either go insane or die. Probably both."

"So?"

"You will have to convince her to consummate your marriage."

His eyes widened in shock. What was she telling him? That he had to have sex with Granger in order to stay alive? His first impulse was repulsion, but then he remembered her warm body pressed against his in that small room at the Weasley's. It had felt just wonderful, slender, yet strong and with curves in all the right places. It hadn't been the body of a girl, but a young woman. A very sensual, enticing young woman. Another low scream escaped his tightly clenched lips.

The dark eyes trained on him recognised the signs. He was burning. The fire unleashed within him was consuming him mercilessly. His only hope lay in the hands of the one person he didn't want it to be held by.

After long moments his eyes opened again. He looked drained, wary.

"Mother, she will never EVER consent to this. She would prefer to die before agreeing to get physical with me."

"I know _her_ to be a very sensible young woman. She will see that her life depends as much as on it as yours. I would reckon she values her life, even if she might not care too much about yours in the moment."

A loud groan was the only answer. Unseen by Draco the impression on the face of his mother was that of serious concern. She prayed the girl really was more sensible than her own offspring.

* * *

><p>"Hi there."<p>

Hannah looked up and saw a stern but very handsome dark faced wizard at her desk. For a moment she was wondering how it was, that since Hermione had decided to getting married a lot more unusual and interesting people appeared at her desk than before.

"Can I help you?"

A smile appeared on the wizards features. Hannah nearly sighed. He really was very good looking.

"I need to get hold of Hermione Granger."

"Weasley."

"Pardon?"

"It's Hermione Weasley now. She got married on Friday."

Blaise didn't reply. The girl couldn't possibly be married to both, Draco and Weasley. Had it been some kind of secret arrangement? There was a good chance for this, as he hadn't seen any mention of this whole story in the Daily Prophet so far. Though right now he didn't really care about the details of them getting together. He was to get hold of her and he didn't care what kind of name she was going by.

"Can I speak to her?"

"She is on holiday. Her honeymoon."

"She got married to a friend of mine."

"Oh."

"Nevertheless, I need to find her. Now."

"Has something happened?"

"Her husband is in St. Mungo's"

"Oh, Merlin, no! What happened?"

"Never mind that. I just need her to come with me."

"Sure."

She hastily scribbled Hermione's address on a piece of parchment and handed it to him.

"This is her home address. You might find her there, as she didn't have plans to go anywhere. Just use the floo network in the atrium."

"Thanks."

He turned to leave, hesitated, turned back and looked at the receptionist for a brief moment. Then he caught her face with his hand, pulled her up a bit and kissed her. Moments later he was gone.

Hannah sunk back onto her chair, eyes glazed over, mind not working any longer.

It was about five minutes later that Harry rounded the corner and found her still staring unseeing at the wall across from her.

"Hannah?" He snipped his fingers in front of her face. "HANNAH!"

She shrieked.

"What happened to you?"

She looked at him, trying to remember.

"There was this handsome wizard asking for Hermione. He kissed me."

Alarm bells were ringing in Harry's head. A handsome wizard? Kissing her?

"What did he look like?"

A heavy sigh could be heard.

"Hannah!"

"What? Oh! He was dark skinned, well dressed, well spoken. He's a friend of Ron's."

Why would Dean Thomas be looking for Hermione? And why would he kiss Hannah? He was engaged to be married!

"Did he say, he was a friend of Ron's?"

"He said, he was a friend of Hermione's husband, yes."

Hermione's husband... Blaise Zabini!

"Where did he go?"

"I gave him her home address and told him to use the floo network in the atrium."

Harry rushed off without another word. Hannah wondered, what was happening yet again. It was only Tuesday morning and there was the hint of something weird hanging in the air. Before she had time to dwell on it though a member of the Auror Office commanded her help to find Arthur Weasley.

* * *

><p>Blaise nearly banged his head on the mantlepiece as he exited the fireplace he had flooed to. He looked around. It was a tidy living room. Alas there was no indication of the witch he was looking for.<p>

"Granger?"

A loud moan was the only answer. He followed the sound along a hallway and into a room at the end of it. There was a woman lying in the bed, dressed in pajamas by the looks of it. She was struggling against something. She looked like Draco had. With quick steps he reached the bed and was in the process of picking her up as a voice yelled from behind him, "What are you doing?"

He looked back and found Weasley standing in the door.

"Weasley! I try to save her life."

The redhead was next to him in a heartbeat.

"What do you mean, _saving her life_? Where are you taking her?"

"St. Mungo's"

Blaise had finally got the squirming witch in his arms and was about to disapparate as Weasley stepped too close for him to do so.

"What has this to do with you? Why are you taking her? Why not Harry or Ginny?"

"Because I was sent to collect her, you moron!"

He found himself rather short fused. He worried about his friend and there was no time to waste with the stupid questions of this annoying...

"Hermione?" Somebody called from the living room.

"Harry?"

The moment of distraction was skilfully used and as Ron turned back to face Zabini he had gone, with Hermione.

Harry entered the bedroom, looked at the bed, at a clearly distressed best friend of his and was about to asked what was going on, as he was grabbed and side-along apparated.

* * *

><p>To his great relieve Blaise arrived with Hermione in Draco's room in one piece. Mrs. Malfoy stood up, looking concerned. Draco had had another rather bad attack and was now laying more or less unconscious amongst the crunched up sheets. He was still twitching, but it was not quite as bad as before.<p>

Blaise carefully lowered the squirming woman from his arms onto the bed next to his friend. The effect was dramatic. Both stopped struggling. Deep peacefulness spread over their faces. Draco sighed.

Blaise looked at them and then at the mother of his friend.

"How is it that they are suddenly so calm?" He asked in a hushed tone.

"They both can feel the presence of the other one."

She tenderly glanced at the couple.

Moments later mayhem seemed to ensue in the corridor outside. A wand was drawn, a wordless spell was cast and silence fell over the room. The young wizard looked a bit surprised.

"I don't think, this would be the best moment for them to be disturbed, do you?"

He shook his head and followed her outside.

* * *

><p>It took several minutes before Draco became aware that he wasn't alone any longer. There was a warm body lying on top of his sheets, a female body. He slowly opened his eyes. A face was not five inches away from his own. It was Hermione's face.<p>

How did she get here? And more importantly _why_ was she here? He would have loved to stroke her hair, caress her face, feel her lips with his own, but as he was still securely restrained, he couldn't do anything except looking at her.

Moments later Hermione's eyes slowly fluttered open. She looked at him silently, no screaming, no ranting, nothing.

"Hi?"

He tried to fight the feeling of drowning in her deep, seductive eyes.

"What are you doing here?"

"I don't know. Last thing I remember is being in the kitchen at home. Where are we?"

"St. Mungo's."

She looked down her body. She was still wearing the same pajamas. He was tugged in under the sheets whereas she was lying on top. She looked at him.

"Why are you here? And why am I laying on your bed?"

"Blaise brought me here on Saturday..."

"What happened to you?"

"Got drunk."

There was an inquisitive expression on her face.

"You got drunk enough to end up here?"

"Yaa."

"Why?"

There was the hint of a scowl forming on his face.

"What do you think? I saw you and Weasley. In Diagon Alley."

"Oh."

"Yes."

There was a moment of tense silence.

"You got drunk because of me?"

Draco tried not to look at her. As he couldn't turn over and face the other was he had to contend with just turning his head away from her.

Hermione was suddenly aware of the odd position they were in. She was laying next to him on her right side, facing him. Her head lay on his outstretched left arm. His left leg was at a rather strange angle as well, not as if he had just shifted over to make space for her. She become acutely aware that any wrong move might have her fall off the bed.

She raised her head and saw the restrains on his right wrist. Moving carefully she realised, that his ankles must have been shackled as well. She turn back and looked at his face. It was still turned away from her. She hesitantly lifted her hand towards his cheek. The moment she touched him the air around them seemed to be filled with magic. He closed his eyes, groaning.

"You okay?"

He nodded, refusing to meet her gaze.

"Why are you shackled to the bed?"

Her voice was soft. He shuddered.

"So that I wouldn't do anything stupid like run riot."

"Why would you do that?"

She could have slapped herself the moment the words had left her lips. He was probably suffering just as she was. Possibly even more, if the healers had resorted to physically restraining him in the way they did. He glared at her now, but didn't answer.

"Sorry." She muttered.

The tension between them was close to being visible.

"Can you untie me?"

Hermione gave him a calculating look. Was it safe for her to do so?

"I'm not going to jump you or anything."

"Are you sure?" There was a smirk hidden in her words.

"Oh, get on with it, will you!"

She climbed off the bed and inspected his situation closely. After about five minutes his ankles were free once again. She turned to face him. He looked endearing in a bizarre way being utterly helpless.

His eyes followed her every move. She looked rather enticing in her pajamas. It would be easy to get them off her... He closed his eyes and stifled a moan. He shouldn't be having these thoughts about her. Then again, she was his wife and Binding partner. If he wasn't allowed to think of _her_ like this than whom?

As his wrists were finally free he rubbed them for a moment. Then he shuffled over a bit and padded the bed beside him. She looked at him.

"Sit down. There is something we need to discuss."

"What?"

"Sit down." She didn't move. "Please?"

Hermione's face showed a somewhat astounded expression. Had he just used the word _please_?

"Come on, I want to get this over with as long as I'm still able to."

She relented and climbed back onto the bed and sat next to him. He lay back and pulled her down by her shoulders, so she would join him. His arm was once again supporting her neck.

"What is it, that we need to talk about? Our divorce?"

"We might need to put that on hold for the moment."

She gave him a frowning look."

"Not my decision, I assure you." He fell silent. "We need to..."

Hermione turned and observed his handsome face as he battled with himself to say what needed to be said.

"You remembered what it said in the book?" He finally asked.

"The bit about consummating..." She blushed and looked away.

"The very one."

Her voice trembled as much as her body was, when she next spoke, "You seriously want to..."

"I'm not talking about wanting it. I'm talking about having to do it."

"So, you are saying you wouldn't want to..."

"Oh, for Merlin's sake! Friday night I wanted to make love to you, of course I did. Why wouldn't I have wanted to? I had just gotten married to a gorgeous girl and life seemed to be presenting me with a possibly happy future." He paused for a moment. "It just didn't happen that way."

She tensed. Had that row really been necessary? She didn't want to think about it right now. She needed to decide, if she was willing to do the deed with him after all. Did she have a choice?

Taking a deep breath she asked, "Do you still want to... want to..."

"Make love to you? Yes, I do. Not just because I have to in order to survive this week, but also because I want to..." His body started to shake violently.

"Draco? Are you okay? Draco!"

There was no answer. As unexpected as it had started, it stopped again. He lay limb next to her, his face showing the faint sheen of sweat. His chest was heaving heavily. She gently run her hand over it. His heart was racing. She cold feel it under her fingertips.

After a few minutes he re-opened his eyes.

"The moment I'm getting out off here, we'll do it and then you can get you divorce." He rasped.

She felt suddenly numb. Why would it bother her, that he wanted to get rid off their entanglement as soon as possible? She would have done it Friday night, if it would have been possible.

"When will you get out?" She whispered.

He thought about that for a moment. As he was no longer bound to the bed they might as well get going right now.

"Now?"

"No!"

"What?"

He looked at her. There wasn't disgust or loathing or anything else he would have expected showing on her face. There was only fear. He blinked. She was afraid of him? Of him? Why?

"Fine. You chose the time and place."

She didn't answer. Instead she was staring at the ceiling. Where would she want to do this? She had no idea. She wasn't going to go to him and find herself at the Manor again, but she didn't want to do it at her flat either. She would have then to live with the memories. She wasn't in the habit of staying in hotels and had therefore no real knowledge about a nice place somewhere in the countryside away from prying eyes. She sighed. He could choose the place. He would know an appropriately sordid place for the occasion.

"Lunchtime."

"Fine. Where?"

She hesitated.

"I don't know?"

"I would have thought you would choose a place like Weasley's family home or..."

He didn't get any further. She hit him. Hard.

"Oi! What was that for? You wanted us to spend our wedding night there after all."

She scowled at him, but didn't reply.

"I'm waiting. Where are we going to have some fun together?"

His tone of voice implicated all too clearly that he didn't consider there upcoming get together as any kind of fun, he would want to participate in under normal circumstances. She remained silent.

"Okay, as you are clearly either not willing or incapable to make a decision as to the location, I'll do it. I'll pick you up at one."

With this he got out off bed, gave her a quick peck on the lips and disapparated before she could say another word.


	7. An uneasy meeting

**A/N sorry for the belated update - life is rather getting to me at the moment, so please REVIEW! That would be a much needed boost of morale so to speak.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>Hermione was sitting on the hospital bed shocked. She would have sex with Draco Malfoy! She had agreed to... She had agreed to being his wife as well. She had allowed for him to unleash a fire within her that she was unable to control. Trying desperately to keep herself from crying she pulled her legs up and hugged them tightly.<p>

She was married to him and she knew, that she had allowed herself to really look at him during their wedding party. He had been a bit hesitant and unsure at times, but more often than not had he tried his best to be the self assured prat she knew. And loved...

The realisation hit her hard. He had made her fall in love with him when he had kissed her in Ron's room at the Burrow. Ron! He had been at her flat with her. He would probably be worried sick about her suddenly disappearing. How had she managed to just vanish in any case? She wouldn't have been able to apparate. Or floo for that matter. Her mind had been on fire and she had felt things she wouldn't admit even to herself.

Her head fell on top of her knees. What was she going to do now? She had to consummate this marriage and she knew wizarding law well enough to know, that after having done it a divorce would be a lot harder to come by. Then again in their case she doubted that anybody would object to it. How was the wizarding world to cope with the fact that she, Hermione Granger, war hero and best friend of Harry Potter, was married to a known Death Eater? It was unthinkable that something like this could ever happen, but it had happened and it had happened to her.

Tears were slowly rolling over her cheeks. She was tired and exhausted. She wanted to go home and never again have to face the world ever again. She didn't want to be brave for once. She didn't want to have to face this. She wanted to be... with him. To her utter horror she felt herself missing him, his warm body, his gently hands and his stormy eyes. She groaned. She wanted these feelings even less than everything else. As her heart was filling with longing she started crying.

She didn't know how long she had been sitting on the bed weeping, but she knew that somebody had just apparated right next to her and was now gathering her into skilled arms. She didn't open her eyes to see who it was and she didn't resist him picking her up either. She was tired of fighting. Her head lay against a male chest and consoling warmth was flooding her body. She kept her mind trained on the knowledge, that she would be free as soon as he was finished with her. She would allow him to do whatever was necessary and then she would just go home and hide for the next eternity, trying to forget that last four days.

She felt herself being apparated. The tugging was familiar, but it still made her feel slightly sick. It always did. For a brief moment she was wondering, if there was anybody that actually _enjoyed _apparating.

She could feel a soft breath in her hair. It felt comforting, but the knowledge about what was to come had her stomach in a knot. She couldn't comprehend why she was so scared. Yes, she was positively scared. It would be a somewhat weird experience, she knew, it being her first time and with Malfoy of all people, but there was something else. Deep within the recesses of her logical mind there was the hidden knowledge that whatever happened would change her. It would mark the final end of adolescence, she would be no longer a girl, she would be a _woman _afterwards. She shuddered.

Knowing the theoretical mechanics and actually having to act them out might just proof to much for her. There were warm lips kissing her hair now. He was trying to sooth her nerves. It was sweet really. He seemed to be genuinely concerned for her. How extraordinary! She would have never thought him... She was laid down on a soft bed. Keeping her eyes shut she waited for him to join her. He didn't. Was he just staring at her in her pajamas? Why wasn't he saying anything either?

Raising her lashes just enough to peek through them she saw the back of a figure in black robes. It was a tall figure with dark hair. Dark hair? That couldn't be right. She fully opened her eyes. Short black hair was what she saw. It should have been white-blond though. Was that Harry? No, he moved differently. This person was a rather elegant mover. He turned to face her.

"Hallo, Granger."

She gasped. It was Blaise Zabini!

* * *

><p>Harry sat in his drawing room together with Ron, Ginny and Mrs. Malfoy. They had been trying to stay civil in St. Mungo's, but it had proven to be difficult, at the beginning any way.<p>

Ron had been wanting to hear all there was to hear. He was rather quiet after learning about the row his ex-fiancé and her now husband had. He had looked at Ginny for a very long time and then had just retreated into his own thoughts. Ginny had been concerned for her friend and her brother and how they would be handling the situation.

She was sitting next to Harry on the large couch and tried to stay positive. Nothing would happened to Hermione. She was with the ferret, that was true, but he was bound to her. Any pain he caused her he would most likely feel himself so that should protect her from him. She shuddered as she contemplated the implications of her and him being now alone somewhere. Having to... Her mind refused to go that way. Imagining her best friend with the Slytherin doing all the things she did with Harry was something she didn't want to have to face. Ever, if that was possible.

Draco's mother was now sitting elegantly in a large armchair holding on to her cup of tea. Her face didn't betray the inner turmoil she was experiencing. She had left her son with his wife and then they had discovered that both of them had vanished out of his room. Though she seemed to have been the only one noticing that Blaise Zabini had disappeared at some point. She didn't have any real reason to feel uneasy about this, but her instincts told her that something wasn't going according to plan, something important.

Harry stared into his mug of tea and was wondering for the upmteens time why he had yet again been robed into the life of his best friend in a way he could well do without. Why couldn't she just have found some nice guy, fallen in love, got married and be happy. Seemingly normal wasn't a feature in her life. It never had been and probably never would be.

He sighed. Was he sorry, that he couldn't just have the normal existence he had seen at the Dursley's? No, if he was honest, this was far better than having the ordinary nine to five routine, he saw with most of the Ministry employees. He would miss the excitement, the unexpected, the need to think on his feet. He had grown up in a state of permanent alertness. Normal wasn't part of his genetic make-up.

There was a sudden crackling noise and Draco came stumbling out of the fireplace.

"Where is she?" He yelled.

Four pairs of eyes were looking at him. Green ones filled with instant worry, ice-blue ones wide with surprise, blue grey-ish ones showing their owner wondering and a pair displaying the knowledge that Hermione might be in danger. It was Harry who spoke first.

"What do you mean? You left the hospital together, didn't you?"

"No." There was an uneasy pause. "She needed some time to... get ready."

Ginny's hands were covering her mouth before she was aware of having gasped in the first place. Hermione had got prepared to... She shook her head. Better not think about that one.

"Draco," the voice of his mother was surprisingly calm and collected,"what did happen?"

He gave her a rather strange look for the briefest of moments and then leant against the mantlepiece.

"We talked. We decided to do the only thing left for us to do in order to avoid the Pain. I was supposed to come and collect her."

"You were already together. Why would you need to collect her, dear?"

"She needed to... I have no idea. Mentally prepare? When I came back she was gone."

"Could Blaise have taken her?"

Draco looked at his mother, as if she had asked him to grow another head.

"Why would he do that? He is my friend."

"That may be true, but do you remember Sophia?"

What little colour there had been in his face was draining away. He seemed to remember.

"What is this all about, Malfoy? And where does Zabini come into it?"

There was a heavy silence settling on the room, broken only by Narcissa's quiet voice.

"She was a girl Blaise met at the Ball we gave at the Manor last Christmas. She is a cousin of Pansy and was staying with her over the holidays. Alas she had taken a shine to dear Draco."

"It was her own bloody fault, if she doesn't think _no_ means _no_," Draco interjected.

"Blaise was quite fond of her, but she had nothing better to do than tell him his best friend had tried to come on to her against her will when Draco refused her."

Ginny's face showed a strange kind of compassion all of a sudden, but nobody seemed to notice.

"There was a punch-up at the New Year's Eve party and after that things had been a bit rocky between them."

"We talked about it about two months ago. I told him, what had happened, nothing. He had seen her on several occasion since Christmas and had found out for himself just what kind of mind was lurking in her made up head. He apologised for being stupid enough to believe her lies."

Draco's voice was calm, but Ginny noticed the hidden pain behind his words. She wondered, if he had true feelings for her friend, if Hermione had managed to get to him in a way he hadn't thought her capable of.

"Why would he then kidnap Draco's...," Harry struggled for the right word, without using the appropriate one, _wife_, and then muttered, " Hermione."

"Maybe he hasn't kidnapped her at all."

They all turned to face Ron.

"What do you mean?"

"Maybe he thinks, that she'd be better off without him. Zabini probably had to listen to a lot of ramblings before he brought Malfoy to St. Mungo's. What, if he thinks that Hermione needs to be protected from him?" He pointed to the wizard still leaning against the mantlepiece.

Draco's head slowly rose as he turned to face the youngest Weasley. His face was expressionless, hie eyes cold and emotionless.

"She doesn't need protecting from me, Weasel!"

There was a tense silence after this one sentence was all he replied to the accusation. Mrs. Malfoy got up and went over to her son. Her hand lay lightly on his shoulder. She captured his gaze and found exactly what she had expected to find. She leant towards him and whispered into his ear. Without saying a word he stepped into the fireplace and vanished in a roar of green flames.

'He really loves her!' Was all that Ginny could think of.

Unseen by the other persons present, his mother's eyes were showing a twinkle of mischief. Hopefully Blaise would have had enough time to talk some sense into her daughter-in-law before Draco arrived.

* * *

><p>Hermione gazed at the dark skinned wizard before her. He was looking at her with an amused expression.<p>

"Who would have thought that it would be you to finally get him to own up?"

She didn't know what to say. What was he talking about?

"What do you mean?"

There was only the hint of smirk on his lips, but for a moment she actually wondered, if you had to be able to smirk in this way to become a Slytherin. She sighed and looked at her hands. Zabini sat on the bed facing her.

"Draco."

"What about him?"

"He had girls swooning over him since the day I first met him. He was always the talker, the one getting them all flustered without ever having the same done to him."

He grinned broadly.

"You got him flustered..."

She looked at him, then frowned. There was the urge to contradict him welling up within her. She stopped herself before she could act upon it.

"What, Granger? You don't know about the power you have over him now?"

He laughed at her shocked face.

"Merlin, girl! He has never got drunk before just because of some girl didn't want him. He never cared about any of them enough for that. He nearly drowned himself in alcohol because of you. In a lot of _Muggle_ alcohol..."

She didn't dare look at him any longer.

"So?"

"You are Muggle born. It was his feeble attempt to get closer to what he perceives as your world, to get closer to you."

Hermione knew, where this was heading and she refused to go there. She didn't want to hear that the man she had married out of necessity was actually feeling something for her. Something that was real, strong and might make him want to do something silly. She tried to distract Zabini with her next question away from the prickly topic of her... her... She couldn't bring herself of thinking of him in terms of her lawful wedded husband, even if that was exactly what he was right now.

"Why did you bring me here?"

He didn't answer straight away. His dark eyes were travelling over her body. Taking in the gentle curves, appreciating the possible pleasure it promised. Pleasures his friend would be enjoying, if he wasn't daft enough to mess this up.

"He'll come to get you. And once he has done that, there will be no turning back for him any longer."

She gasped. Why was he doing all this? What was in it for him?

"Why do you want him to suffer? Is that some kind of sick Slytherin thing to inflict pain on the people you call friends?"

If he noticed the sarcasm in her words, he pretended not to. He took her hands into his. She was shocked. His fingers were long and felt warm. His dark skin was a stark contrast to her own cream coloured complexion.

"No. It is not. I'm only doing this, so that he can finally be with somebody that loves him. Somebody worthy of being loved by him."

He smiled as she stared at him in shock.

"You know, they say you are the smartest witch of our age. Maybe that is correct in academic circles, but when it come to life and how to play it, you have no idea, have you?"

It took several minutes before she could even start to think of an answer.

"You don't _play_ life, Zabini." She spat.

"See, that's where you are wrong. Life it the biggest game of all. With the highest stakes and the greatest pain, should you get it wrong. I don't want him to loose again. I want him to win for once."

His calm words touched something deep within her soul. For a moment she could _feel_ what he was talking about, but then it was gone as fast as it had come.

Blaise moved a bit closer, still holding her hands. She tried to move back, but found herself frozen to the spot. She looked at him with the hint of panic in her eyes. He smiled, slowly continuing on his way towards her. Her heart filled with dread now. What was he doing? Feeling his thighs right next her own she didn't dare look at him any longer. She closed her eyes, willing him to just get it over with whatever he seemed to be intending to do.

His soft fingers trailed slowly over her cheek now. She bit her lip. There was a sudden sharp roar, boot clad feet running and then her tormentor was yanked away from her. She opened her eyes just in time to see an enraged Draco holding Blaise by the front of his robes, before swinging a heavy punch at his friend. Zabini's jaw connected quite sharply with a well aimed fist and she winced.

"Keep your hands of my wife, Zabini!" Draco growled before stepping over to the bed she was sitting on.

"Are you okay?" He asked gently.

She nodded. Without hesitation he gathered her into his arms and disappeared them a moment later.

Blaise rubbed his aching face, grinning.


	8. Absolutely starkers

Draco kept Hermione in his arms long after they had apparated. He didn't set her down. He didn't seem to have any intentions to do so. She looked in his face. All she saw was an unreadable expression and his storm cloud coloured eyes looking back at her.

"Will you let me down?" She hesitated for a moment then added, "please?"

He didn't. She frowned.

"Draco! Let me down." Her voice only slightly raised as yet.

Again he just kept her in his arms. His face was showing a slightly pained expression. She started squirming, but he tried his best to not let her go.

"Oh, for Merlin's sake! Draco!"

He finally relinquished his efforts of trying to keep her close to him. The moment her feet hit the ground she hastily retreated away from him. He didn't follow. For long moments they were standing about fifteen feet apart, eyes trained on the other and no word being said.

Hermione was starting to wonder what had happened to him during the short time that he had been gone. Why was he suddenly so... so... She blinked. She didn't have the words to describe him in that moment. Though she could see the pain clearly displaying on his face now, not physical pain but gut wrenching emotional pain.

She slowly edged closer to him again. With every step she took towards him he retreated backwards, away from her. After a few steps she stopped. What was he doing? Why was he acting like this? She took another step forward and again he took a step back. Only this time his back hit the wall behind him. He had nowhere to retreat to any further. Hermione kept advancing, slowly.

His gaze was trained straight on to the opposing wall. She stood before him now. He didn't react to her in any way. Why was he behaving like a lunatic?

"Draco?" Her soft voice didn't seem to reach him. He kept staring over her head.

She was at a loss. Why wasn't he saying anything? Why was he just standing there? Why _was_ he behaving like this? She didn't have time to finish this line of reflections as he suddenly pulled her against himself and as she was feeling his hot lips covering her mouth ever rational thought fled her mind.

This kiss was neither gentle nor romantic. It was filled with raw emotion. There she was tasting his hunger for her, his hardly hidden lust. He wouldn't stop now. No matter what she would try to do or say, he would not stop before he had her writhing underneath him. He would let her feel his desire and desperation. She would be his, whatever the cost.

* * *

><p>There was a gentle cool breeze caressing her bare skin. Hermione sighed. The sheets had partly slipped off her exposing part of her back. The pillow felt warm and silken against her face. She felt strangely content without being able to say why exactly that should be. She turned her head and found that somebody was sleeping next to her. Somebody with white-blond hair...<p>

She froze. Desperately trying to figure out what had happened she had a quick peek under the sheets covering his body. She was just about able not to gasp. He wasn't wearing anything. She let her head fall slowly back onto the pillow. He was absolutely starkers! There was not a stitch covering his body. She blushed deeply. There was only one explanation as to what had happened, they had consummated their marriage after all. She groaned quietly. She had really had sex with him. For long moments her head was devoid of any thoughts or emotions.

When she opened her eyes again, she took the time to actually look at the man lying next to her. His features were soft and relaxed. A few strands of hair had fallen into his eyes. An air of peace was surrounding him. Hermione let her gaze wander over his closed eyes, the nose with the somewhat aristocratic curve, a mouth that was giving the impression of soft sweetness. It was as if it was asking to be kissed. She blinked. Since when did she have these ridiculous romantic notions? She was looking at the guy that had been haunting and taunting her for years. He was the reason that she was here in the first place. No. That wasn't entirely accurate. It had been his mother that had created this situation all those years ago before he had even been born.

She closed her eyes. What was she going to do now? What was _he_ expecting from her now? Technically they could finally part ways and she could file for divorce. How long would it take for her to be able to have the wedding she had dreamt of? She still wanted to marry Ron. He had been the only man she had ever wanted to spend her life with. She sighed. When she opened her eyes again he was looking straight at her. She blushed.

He didn't say anything. He didn't even move. He was just observing her. She got rather nervous and flustered. Maybe it would be a good idea to leave now. She sat up and the sheets covering her fell gracefully down into her lap. He slightly tilted his head and raised an eyebrow. She shrieked and hastily covered herself again.

"Close your eyes!" She demanded.

There was the smallest of smiles playing around his lips, but he seemingly obliged. His lashes just hid the fact that he was still able to see her gathering the sheet around her. As she was trying to get out off bed she nearly fell as her legs became entangled in the fabric. He tried his best not to grin. He wasn't supposed to know.

When she had put on her pajamas he opened his eyes again. She had her back turned to him.

"Don't you want to know what has happened?" He asked quietly.

She whirled round to face him once again.

"I know, what you did! I don't need any sordid details, thank you very much!"

He didn't say anything right away. It was only when she started to spin in order to disapparate that she heard him asking, "Are you sure about that?".

* * *

><p>Ginny and Harry sat in his kitchen. They had just finished diner and were enjoying each other's company. He had taken off the watch he had still been wearing since last Friday. Friday... That seemed an eternity away now. What had gone wrong with his best friend and the ferret? They were supposed to be happily married or that had been the plan anyway. Instead they had rowed and split up after only a few hours of marriage.<p>

"Ginny?"

"Hm?"

"Do you think that they'll managed to keep it together long enough to actually... do it?"

The girl at his side shrugged. She had given up to try and second guess her friend.

"I have no idea. If they have finally done it, we might be in for another wedding soon. She'll marry Ron this time given half a chance. Though I'm not sure how mum and dad will be handling this whole situation. It was bad enough for them to be told by Ron that it wouldn't be him that was going to marry her on Friday."

Harry sighed. His thoughts seemed to be going round in circles somehow. He took Ginny's hand and traced the lines in her palm. Realisation was suddenly spreading over his face. How could they have overlooked this vital piece in the puzzle?

"If she really files for divorce and is granted it she still won't be able to marry your brother."

"Why not?"

He turned to face her.

"They are still bound to each other. The Pain may not be claiming them any longer, but that doesn't mean that they are free, far from it. The Binding will be close to unbreakable now. I don't know, if Tinsel has enough magic left in him to break that bond. The reversal is one thing, but to get rid of a fully established Binding... I have a really bad feeling about this whole thing."

"You mean, they might have no choice and will need to stay married?"

He nodded.

"That would kill her," she hesitated, "and Ron."

"I know, but is there anything we can actually do?"

She tried to think of anything and then shook her head. She couldn't think of anything that would help their friend to regain her freedom.

* * *

><p>Ron and Hermione were sitting on the large comfy couch in her living room. His arms were tightly wrapped around her. She was sobbing. She had been crying loudly for the past hour before succumbing to the now prevailing sobs. He felt utterly helpless. What was he supposed to do or say to console her? He had tried everything he could think of and nothing had worked. Tears had been streaming over her face regardless.<p>

"Ron?"

"Yes?"

She looked at him. He could see desperation in her eyes. His lips were gently touching her forehead.

"I'm so sorry."

He was taken aback. Why was she sorry? What was there that she could possibly be sorry for?

"Why? You didn't do anythi..."

"I had sex with him!"

She started crying again. He pulled her back against his chest. His hands drew circles on her back.

"You didn't choose to do that, Hermione. You had to. There is nothing to be ashamed of."

"But I can't even remember anything."

'Hold on! She can't remember anything? How can that be?'

"What do you mean?"

She drew back a bit to be able to look at him.

"I woke up and there he was," she blushed deeply, "right next to me."

"So what? That doesn't mean you have..."

"He was naked, Ron, and so was I!"

He opened his mouth to reply, but closed it again as he didn't know what to say. His girl had been waking up next to another guy who just so happened to be undressed... He sighed. He had to stop and try to delude himself. Hermione had been together with the ferret. There was nothing that could change that. Why did she say that she couldn't remember anything though?

* * *

><p>He sat in his favourite armchair in the library. He had been trying to read the book in his hands for the past half hour, but he couldn't even recall the title of it least of all what it was all about.<p>

He knew that he had done the right thing. It was the only thing he could have done, if he wanted to be able to ever look at her again without feeling like an utterly loathsome creature. He wasn't proud of the fact that he had used a sleeping charm on her. He had been more than a bit embarrassed as he had undressed her and getting into bed with her after having shed his own clothes hadn't been the easiest thing he had ever done either. It should have been all very simple. Getting the information he needed from Tinsel to find a way around to actually having to sleep with her had been the straight forward bit. The execution of his plan based on the gained information had turned into an emotional nightmare for him. He was an honourable man. Whatever else he might happen to be he had always been able to uphold his honour, until now that was.

"Draco, dear?"

He sighed.

"Yes, Mother?"

His parent appeared from behind one of the shelved and observed him for a moment before she joined him. She sat across from him, silently.

"What do you want, Mother?"

"I had come to ask you where your lovely wife is, but right now I'm somewhat intrigued by the fact that the book you seem to be reading is up side down..."

He looked at the literature in his hands and realised the she was right. He was actually holding the small leather volume the wrong way up. He rectified the situation but didn't say anything else.

"Where is Hermione?"

It wasn't only a question. There was an accusation behind the words. Her gaze pierced his soul when he eventually looked at her.

"She's probably with the Weasel."

"You mean the youngest Weasley son? Ronald, is it?"

He nodded.

"And why would she be with him instead of being with you?"

"She loves him."

"Does she love you, too?"

He sighed. Why had he been lumbered with somebody as meddlesome as his mother? Why couldn't she just leave him alone? Life was difficult enough as it was. He didn't need a pushy parent forever expecting him to do things he didn't want to do.

"Draco? Does she love you?"

"How am I supposed to know!"

He stood up and dropped the book he had been holding in the process.

"I couldn't care less, if she did!"

There was fury in his words and his face had a slight pink tinge.

"Then maybe I should rephrase that question. Do you love her?"

He looked at her with murder in his eyes. His mother was absolutely unfazed by her son's behaviour. She had been standing up to her husband when he had discovered that she had successfully sabotaged his plans for the future wife of his son. She had managed to persuade Snape to make the Unbreakable vow in order to protect her ungrateful offspring and she had lied to Voldemort himself at the height of the war in order to find out, if Draco was still alive. He could do a lot of things, but intimidate her wasn't one of them.

"What is it with you, Mother? Why are you so obsessed with her loving me or me loving her. She hates my guts. If she hasn't done so before she most certainly does now."

"I see and what exactly would have prompted this hate for you?"

"I let her believe that she has..."

He turned away. His hands were clasping around the horizontal part of the shelf in front of him. He leant his head against the dark wood. Heavy sighs could be heard. What had he done to deserve this?

"She thinks that she has slept with me."

"Ah.

He turned around facing the elegant woman that could drive him up the walls nearly as easily as Hermio... Shock spread across his face. Hermione was driving him up the walls! She was able to get to him when nobody, except for his mother, was able to get past his well polished protective walls. She just waltzed right through and wreaked havoc with his mind and soul. How was that possible? He would have never allowed anything like this to happen and then it dawned on him that the Griffindor just didn't take any notice of his defences. They simply didn't exist for her any longer as he refused to be as horrid to her now as he had been in the past.

"You, Draco, are a decent human being. You wouldn't just let her believe it, if it was actually true. You would be with her right now. You would be making sure that she is happy with her decision."

There wasn't a smirk on her face, but he was sure it wasn't far of it either. It was somewhat unsettling to have his own mother smirk at him.

"I am not a decent human being, Mother. It stopped being decent the day I called her a mudblood for the first time."

"Has she threatened to hex you when you last saw her? Has she tried to bodily harm you in any way?"

"No, of course not! She is far too good for something like that."

Narcissa sighed.

"Draco, I am sorry to have to say this, but I would have punished you a long time ago, if I didn't think that you are being punished enough by yourself already."

He glared at her. She had never in his whole life punished him. She had been the one to protect, heal and support him. Punishments had been administered by his father.

"You seem to know what I need and don't need, so tell me what do I need right now?"

The sarcasm in his voice wasn't lost on his mother, but she decided to just overlook it. It was starting to get tiresome to have to deal with him and his irrationality on a daily basis. Why couldn't he just for once choose the easy option out and accept that he was going to spend the rest of his days as husband of Hermione Granger? Why couldn't he accept that she would make him happy? Why couldn't he see that she was the right one for him and why was she just as stubborn and unrelenting as her son? These two had the chance to sharing their lives in a loving and lasting relationship, but instead of just acknowledging this fact they fought tooth and nail to make sure they stayed away from each other and to make themselves unhappy in the process.

"What you need, son, is a good clip round the ears followed by long loving kiss by your wife."

He opened his mouth to answer and found he didn't know what to say. She stood up and approached him slowly.

"You, Draco, are a good man. You have always been good regardless of what your father has tried to do to you, you never lost what was deep within you."

She gently caressed his cheek.

"Please, stop torturing yourself. You have been punished enough. You deserve a new life. She is the chance for you to have this new life. Don't throw it away just because your heart is too scared to love her. Go, find her. Talk to her. Explain what really happened."

His grey eyes were filled with reluctance and uncertainty. He wasn't sure that Hermione would even speak to him.

"Go, Draco."


	9. Explaining the truth

It was two in the morning and Hermione couldn't sleep. She had been trying hot milk with honey and a hot water bottle, which was a bit ridiculous in August really. She even tried War and Peace from Tolstoy, just on the off chance it might get her sleepy enough to actually fall asleep. It hadn't worked. She was still lying in her bed staring at the ceiling wide awake. She sighed. The soft night light was casting gentle shadows around the room.

Should she go to work tomorrow? Tomorrow? More like today as it was already in the wee hours of _tomorrow_ already. No, there would be too many people asking too many questions she didn't want to answer. Officially she was on holiday in order to have a lovely honeymoon... She scowled. Honeymoon! Since she had left him yesterday she had been trying to get her head around the fact of having had sex with none other than Draco Malfoy.

Another heavy sigh could be heard. She was married for nearly five days now and even so she hadn't seen her so called husband since yesterday she was still not sure what she expected herself to feel right now. Did she miss him? Not really. Did she want to be with him? That was a good question, another one she didn't have an answer for. Did she actually care what would happen to him now? Not, if it didn't include her in any case. Did she want him to feel anything for her? She caught herself answering that question actually with yes as that would mean she could make him suffer. When had she turned into some kind of revenging... no she wasn't an angel in any case, but making him suffer for a change was a rather appealing idea. At least for about five minutes after which she scolded herself for being stupid enough to descend to his level of maliciousness. She didn't seriously wanted him to suffer and she didn't want to inflict any pain on him either. She just wanted him to be no longer a part of her life.

A rather worrying thought emerged suddenly. Why was she so pre-occupied with him in any case? Why did she have to constantly think about him? It wasn't as if she had any feelings for him any longer. Or did she? Realisation was hitting her hard as she found herself confronted with the fact that she did care for him. She groaned. She cared for the ferret. At least caring for somebody didn't mean... Yes, it did! Even after all that had happened she was still on the verge of falling for him, if she hadn't already. She wasn't quite sure about that. It felt like she was in love with him after all.

'Brilliant! I actually care for the bastard!'

She closed her eyes and didn't even notice that she had fallen asleep before she could find any excuse for her irrational feelings.

* * *

><p>Hermione groaned There was this feeling of him lying next to her again! He was closely snuggled up against her. She could feel his chest rise and fall under her hand. Her hand was on his... She just kept her eyes shut and tried not to make a sound. His breath was softly blowing against her cheek. It was a rather intimate feeling. She tried to concentrate on the insignificant details of her situation. Was he actually under the covers with her? No. That was odd. It seemed as if he was lying on top of her sheets. Was he dressed? This was really weird. He was wearing a shirt. Who in their right mind was wearing a shirt of all things to bed?<p>

Her brain processed her findings for a moment and than came to the conclusion that for some strange reason her husband was sharing her bed while being fully dressed, she at least assumed that he was, and also sleeping on top of the covers. Odd. In all her other dreams about him he had been anything but clothed and also always enjoyed himself under the covers with her.

'Hermione get a grip of yourself!'

She slowly opened her eyes. To her utter shock he didn't vanish as he had done all those other times. He was still there! She looked at him. His white-blond hair looked ruffled and his features were relaxed. She allowed herself to observe him for a while. It was a pity that he wasn't like this when he was awake. She wouldn't have minded him quite as much, if he wouldn't have been so full of himself all the time. Why did he have to be such a prat when not sleeping?

He started to stir. She held her breath. He mumbled something and turned over so that he was now facing her. His eyes stayed closed, but she was sure that he was slowly waking up.

Nothing happened. He was just steadily breathing next to her. Hermione watched him. She expected his eyes to open any moment, but he just lay there. She shifted slightly, ready to jump out off bed the instant he would... She never saw him move, but within the blink of an eye he was hoovering over her. Grey eyes staring at her. Her mouth agape she didn't know what to do. His face was only inches away from hers and she could feel his presence in a way that unnerved her. She couldn't move as he was using the sheets to skilfully prevent it.

His lips were showing a shy smile. She blinked.

"Why don't you send me away?" he whispered.

She opened her mouth to answer, but closed it again as she didn't know what to say.

She finally managed to mutter, "Why are you here?"

He was letting his gaze roam over her face. She felt strange, as if he was scanning her soul with this look.

"Why do you think I am here?"

Why didn't she feel threatened by him? She was close to helpless. Her wand was on her night stand. Her covers were prevented her to move and he was so close that she could feel his breath in her face.

"I... I don't know."

He hesitated for long moments before speaking again.

"I'm here, because I want my name back. I want my honour back and I also need to tell you, what really happened."

"What do you mean?"

"Tell me how we... spend yesterday afternoon together."

She blinked. He seriously wanted her to tell him what had happened while they had been... No way! Why would he want to humiliate her like that? Why would he... Her thoughts were interrupted by his soft voice.

"You have no idea what happened, have you?"

She closed her eyes as she felt herself blush.

"No." It was a barely audible whisper.

"While I kissed you I used a sleeping charm."

She couldn't help herself, but she was impressed. It wasn't an easy charm to perform and to do it silently _and_ wandless was quite an achievement.

"Then I undressed you."

She looked horrified, his face was developing a soft pink tinge.

"I got rid of my own clothes and then joined you in bed."

She wasn't sure, why he was taking such pleasure in torturing her with his words.

"I had been to see Tinsel in St. Mungo's before I came to get you."

"You have seen him? I thought, he has lost his marbles."

"No, not really."

He omitted to tell her that the said wizard had been agitated to say the least to see Draco appearing at his hospital bed, but after he had explained his situation the old wizard had been quite helpful. He had provided the key to end their predicament.

"What did you want from him?"

"A solution that would be... shall we say _suitable_ for both of us."

"I don't understand."

"Then let me tell you what I did next after I had the unexpected pleasure to be able to enjoy the feel of your skin without having the threat of being hexed hanging over me."

She took a deep breath.

"I know, what you did next. No need to tell me."

"But that is where you are wrong..."

Hermione glared at him. What was he talking about?

"I took the liberty to use your wonderful body as inspiration to..."

He bend closer. She tried unsuccessfully to sink deeper into the mattress. He whispered into her ear, her eyes growing wide.

"You didn't!"

He smirked.

"I did. That was part of the necessities to be preformed in order to get us out off this mess."

"I bet you enjoyed that you... you... wanker!"

He grinned broadly.

"A bit crude coming from you, but accurate nevertheless."

He didn't say anything else, he just looked at her. Hermione's emotions had gone into overdrive. She felt used, ashamed, humiliated and possibly also angry.

"Part two was a lot less... I would have preferred not to have to do that."

She just groaned. There was no doubt about what he had done next. She didn't want to hear any details, she really didn't.

"Spare me the details." She tried to let her voice sound cold and uncaring, but was too shaken to pull it off successfully.

"You see, the Binding requires two things in order to be satisfied," he hesitated, "penetration and... male contribution."

Hermione was wondering, if it would be possible for her to faint right now, being abducted by on of Luna's imaginary creatures would have been fine as well. Anything as long as she wouldn't have to listen to him any longer.

"I might be a lot of things, but I'm not a rapist."

Hold on! What was he saying? She felt him leaning close again and then he whispered into her ear once again what he had done next.

She felt like passing out right now would be just perfect.

"So, you see, I had to know the details of how the Binding was working in order to find a solution."

He most certainly had found a solution. She would never in her entire life let him know this, but she was actually impressed that he had found this way out. He had brains. Nobody could refute that, not even her.

He moved off the bed and stood next to the window. Letting his gaze wander over the surrounding area. Hermione sat up in the bed.

"I don't want Weasley to be with you, or Blaise for that matter."

He turned around.

"Where did he come into this whole thing anyway?"

"I have no idea." It was the truth. She had no idea why Zabini had kidnapped her. "He just showed up at the hospital and disapparated us. After we arrived Merlin knows where he was talking about you."

"Me?"

"Yes. He was saying that he needed to make sure that you got first price in the game of life for once and that he wanted to make sure I was worth being loved by you."

Draco didn't know what to reply. Why was Blaise so interested in his well-being? Or who was being loved by his friend. There was a suspicion slowly rising in his mind.

"My mother was at the hospital."

Hermione thought about it for a moment, but she didn't recall having seen her mother-in-law there. Then again that didn't mean that she hadn't been there.

"I don't know. Did I see her?"

"She was there."

"What would she have to do with Blaise abducting me?"

She didn't get it. Why would his mother ask his friend to do that? Shouldn't she have been glad that he was in St. Mungo's in order to be looked after? She frowned. He had said that he was there, because he had gotten drunk, seriously drunk.

"To make me your knight in shining amour."

His eyes were trained on her. She was wearing a simple white cotton night gown with just the hint of lace around the seams. Her brown hair was framing her face in wild curls. The traces of her blushing earlier were still visible. He sighed. She looked adorable. He most certainly adored her, but was that of any importance any longer? He had found a solution to prevent himself from having to do something she would hate him for. It hadn't been easy, but it had been necessary. At least now they were free to go their separate ways. She could get her... NO! He didn't want her to leave him, again. He turned away and looked out off the window.

Hermione just stared at his back. Why didn't he say something? Why didn't he go? He had done what he had come for, hadn't he?

There was a sudden commotion coming from somewhere in the hallway outside her front door. Just before she turned her head to look at the door of her bedroom she was aware of him... Was he sighing? She got out off bed and slowly walked over to him. The noise from the hallway had died down meanwhile. She slowly lay her left hand on his shoulder. He flinched, but didn't draw away. He felt her right hand flat on his back. Exhaling deeply he let his head fall backwards just enough for her not to notice. He enjoyed her warm hands on his body.

Her fingers trailed slow paths from their respective position down to his hips. What was she doing? Hermione tugged at him in order to turn him to face her. He wanted to resist. He didn't want to see her. She insisted on him moving, so he did.

Deep, dark brown eyes were gazing at him. He wanted to pull away. He wanted to run away, but found himself unable to move.

"Why don't you want Ron to be with me?"

Deeply sighing he closed his eyes. He didn't want to answer this question.

"Draco?" Her voice disguised the steel edge under a velvet tone.

"Why do you want to know? Why didn't you send me away, when you found me in your bed? Why didn't you hex me when you had the chance to do it? Why am I still standing here talking to you? Why, Hermione, why?"

She started to answer, but found that words failed her.

"I know why." He told her quietly.

His arms were sneaking around her, slowly. He drew her closer, feeling her body against his own. Silence surrounded them as he looked at her. She was not sure what to think any longer. Her heart told her to just forget logic and go with what felt right. She felt herself shivering. Just before his lips were gently pressing against her mouth. Hermione couldn't help herself sighing happily. Draco smiled to himself. Would they be able to get something civil off the ground this time? He hoped so. When he had her in his arms, feeling her soft mouth, there was nothing he wanted more than make her understand that she meant more to him then he had words for.

He tried his best to be be gentle even so he felt like ravaging her. Her fingers had found their way into his hair somehow. He could feel her warm skin through the fabric of her night gown. There was something deep within him that screamed to be released. Desire was flooding his senses to a degree he hadn't known before.

Draco didn't get the chance to decide, if it was the right time to make a serious move or wait for some kind of sign from the witch he held in his arms. There was a loud explosion in the hallway and before they knew what was happening, people seemed to be pouring into her flat. Without thinking or informing her of his intentions he disapparated them.

Moments later Ron and George Weasley, Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnigan were pouring into the room.

"Where is she, Ron?" Seamus asked, looking around for any sign of the witch he had been attending school with.

"I don't understand." Ron muttered. "She was here when I left."

His brother lowered his wand and after inspecting the other rooms of the flat came back with a frown on his face. "Are we too late? Has he already got her, Ron?"

"I don't know."

Dean looked at him.

"Are you sure that Malfoy will harm her?"

Everybody turned towards him. Dean was slightly taken aback by the sudden attention bestowed upon him.

"I'm just saying. We all saw them on Friday, didn't we?"

"Doesn't mean just because he got married to her that he won't hurt her, mate." Seamus reasoned.

"Okay, children, playtime is over." George could be heard. "We know, she isn't here. We don't know, where she is and if she is there because she chose to. Ron, you are absolutely sure, that Malfoy is after her?"

"Yes." It was one of the most convincing lies he had ever come up with.


	10. He is in love

**A/N I know it has been way too long since I last updated, but I had to finish _With you in my Arms_ first and that took a bit longer than anticipated...**

**So here is the next instalment of Draco and Hermione's quest to get to grips with the aftermath of a spell cast 21 years ago by Mrs. Malfoy.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>Harry was sitting in his kitchen and enjoyed the delicious dessert Kreacher had done for him, Chocolate Mousse at its best. Maybe it was a bit unusual for breakfast, but after the last days he didn't go with convention any longer. If his best friend could marry the enemy of their teenage years then he could have dessert first thing in the morning.<p>

Lost in thoughts he was wondering why Ron had told him he wouldn't be at work today. He had been a bit weird yesterday evening as well, whispering a lot with George. Something was going on. Something that shouldn't be going on. The feeling of imminent disaster looming was back. He sighed.

Kreacher poured him another cup of tea and then bustled off. Moments later Ginny came bursting into the kitchen.

"He has seriously lost it! Harry, he's gone busting her flat! And George, Seamus and Dean have been helping him. The IDIOTS!"

A rather puzzled looking wizard faced her.

"What are you talking about, Ginny? Who has lost it? And who's flat have they gone busting into?"

She took a few breath, sat next to him on the long bench and helped herself to a few spoonful of Mousse.

"Just what I needed." she sighed.

Kreacher appeared with a cup of tea for her. She thanked him and took a careful sip. Harry patiently waited for her to explain what had brought her here.

"My thicko brother has got it in his head that as Hermione and Draco don't really want to be together and as the ferret has made sure that she feels totally awful because they had sex, he thinks he can win her back by... I don't know, what they were planning really."

Harry gently stroked her hand, trying to think.

"Ron has recruited George," that must have been the reason for them whispering all the time at diner yesterday, "Dean and Seamus for a bit of breaking and entering in order to _rescue_ Hermione from Malfoy? That is insane."

"We are talking about Ron here, Harry."

He sighed and nodded.

"If they are trying to take Hermione from Malfoy they are going to be in for the shock of their lifetime. He is not going to let her go, if she would go with them in any case..."

Ginny looked at him. There was a rather puzzled look on her face.

"What do you mean?"

Harry sighed. Seems it was time for him to own up as well.

"I have been called to St. Mungo's the other day. One of the healers was rather concerned about a visitor our good Mr. Tinsel had received. For some strange reason, Williamson, the head of the Auror Office, saw it fit to send me of all people. It had been Malfoy who had been so to see him. I had a long talk with Tinsel and he told me what he had told Malfoy. It was about how to fulfil the Binding. What was required in order to prevent the Pain from claiming them."

He stopped and blushed.

"Tinsel told him, that the Binding needs penetration and male...," he blushed even deeper, "male... male... The male needs to climax." he blurted out. He tried his best not to look at his girlfriend. If he had, he would have seen that her face had gone rather red as well.

"Okay. So he needs to... to... spill within her in order to avert the Pain?"

Harry sighed.

"Kind of... Tinsel thought, that Malfoy must have thought of a way round it, because he had suddenly started to grin, as if he had just had the perfect solution to this mess."

Now Ginny sighed as well.

"Malfoy has done _whatever_ with Hermione, they are now fully bound and are not going to suffer the Pain. She had sex with the ferret and is probably totally traumatised because of it. Why exactly are you thinking that the _Merry Morons_ are going to get a shock, when they are trying to prise her away from him?"

"Ginny, don't you see? He has gone to see Tinsel because he didn't want to have sex with Hermione. He didn't want to do something that was only marginally removed from rape, as her consent wasn't really there. It was either sleeping with him or the Pain. It could probably technically be regarded as rape. He didn't want to to do that! Why? Why would he be so concerned for her mental and emotional well being?"

He gave her a moment and then slowly nodded as she caught on to what he was saying.

"He has honest feelings for her. He is in love with Hermione, if he likes it or not."

"Oh, sweet Merlin!"

They sat on the wooden bench for a long while, eating the rest of the dessert without noticing. It was only when Kreacher was reminding Harry rather forcefully that it was time to go to work that he snapped out off his thoughts. He kissed Ginny and then flooed to the Ministry.

* * *

><p>Ron, George, Seamus and Dean had gone back to the Burrow. They had been greeted by a rather suspicious looking Mrs. Weasley. She had been trying to get out off them where they had been and especially why none of them had been at work. They had managed to escape to Ron's room without spilling the beans and were now discussing what had happened.<p>

"Ron, why exactly have we burst into Hermione's flat again?" Seamus asked.

"She had to marry the ferret because the Reversal didn't work. She had also to have sex with him, otherwise she would have been in excruciating pain by now."

Seamus looked at Dean, who in turn was looking at George, who shrugged.

"We saw them on Friday, they looked really happy together. I mean, genuinely happy, as if they were a real couple. Why do you think, she wants to leave him now? Getting between the sheets with Malfoy is maybe not the thing I would consider great, but she got married to him."

Dean had somehow the suspicion that they had been roped into something they better shouldn't have.

"I have seen her on the evening of the so called wedding." Ron's voice was laced with something bordering on rage. "She came home, crying because the ferret had tried to force her to live at the Manor with him. She didn't want that. They had to have sex, because of this cursed spell his mother used on them. She never wanted that either. She doesn't want him."

"She wants you?"

Seamus was not quite sure why he asked this, but when looking at Dean he saw the same doubts rising in his friend he felt himself.

"Of course, she does! We were engaged to be married before all this. We were going to get her marriage annulled, find her parents and then get a proper reversal done. We want to get married. She loves me. Me! Not the ferret."

Seamus put his hands up in defence.

"I'm just asking. Technically they can haul us in front of the Wizengamot for what we did this morning, Ron. I want to make sure, it's worth it."

They had repaired all the damage they had done and should Hermione come home now, she wouldn't know that they had ever been there.

George looked from one of his fellow spare time burglars to the other.

"I think, we should make sure that we find out what Hermione is thinking before we do anything else. Ron, I know you want her back and I would prefer her as my sister-in-law rather than your best friend as well. Fact is though that we have no idea what she is thinking right now. I mean, she might not be able to get her marriage dissolved before having found her parents. It might be necessary for her father to be there to reverse this Binding and enable her to marry you. We shouldn't do anything stupid."

They all agreed. Ron looked a bit deflated.

"Hey, mate, we know you really love her. Lets find her and talk to her, right?"

The youngest Weasley nodded. Seamus and Dean apparated home shortly afterwards. George stayed with his brother.

"Ron, I didn't want to say before, but Dean is right. They got married on Friday of their own free will. I spoke to Harry. He said that Malfoy was rather reluctant to do it. He would have done anything to get out off it. You could call it a wedding at wand point for him, if you wanted to."

There was no response.

"I also heard them talking at the buffet. That wasn't the conversation of two people who got married because they didn't have a choice. They were behaving like a couple that had just started dating. If I didn't know who they were, I would have said it was absolutely genuine."

"What are you saying? That she loves him?"

"I don't know, whom she does or doesn't love. I'm just saying we need to talk to her, _before_ we do anything to him. Because, if she really has serious feelings for the ferret, you will be in trouble of epic proportions when she finds out what you have been doing..."

Ron sighed. He had behaved like a love sick idiot and he knew it. He could only hope that his best friend of ten years wasn't going to hold it against him that his feelings had clouded his judgement.

* * *

><p>He was holding her tight to his body. Hermione's head was leaning against his shoulder. Draco didn't make any attempts to move. He just held her. His breath gently brushing her face. It was strangely calming. She wouldn't have thought she could enjoy him being close like this any longer, but she did.<p>

The soft sigh escaping him made her look up. His eyes were closed and his face relaxed. His whole body radiated calm. Though she hadn't forgotten his strange behaviour in her flat. Why had he suddenly refused to look at her? Why had there been a somewhat pained expression on his face? She felt warm and secure where she was, but she wanted to know what had happened to him. She didn't just feel that something was wrong, she _knew_.

"Draco?" she whispered.

"Hm?"

"What happened?"

He didn't move or even open his eyes. He didn't do anything except holding her close to his body.

"Draco?" she asked a bit louder though there was still no answer forthcoming, "Oh, for Merlin's sake! Could we please not have the brooding groom here."

He at least had the sense of opening his eyes. Their deep grey was like a mirror. It didn't betray anything that was going on in his head. If there was anything going on in there.

"You know what happened. I made a point of telling you."

His voice was level and without emotions. It had her emotions going into overdrive, anger was the dominating one.

"You break into my flat, sleep next to me, then you tell me about our... our encounter yesterday and to top it all you then have the audacity to..."

She didn't get any further as Draco kissed her.

It was rather gentle and without any urge or anxiety. His lips feathered touch after tender touch onto hers, but never gave her the chance to react in any way. As unexpected as his mouth had found her it was gone again.

He stepped back and turned his back on her.

"This isn't real. All you're feeling or think you're feeling is an illusion. The Binding is blinding you into accepting emotions that aren't yours as if they were. Neither of us has chosen to be in this situation and if you hadn't turned out to be a witch we would have never met. I would have been married off to some stupid pureblood girl and you would have found some Muggle bloke you liked."

He turned and she gasped as she saw the pain in his face now.

"I never wanted any of this. I never wanted to get married or have a family or anything, but due to my upbringing I never had a choice and I had accepted it. But this...," he waved his hand between them, "is not how it's suppose to go. I want the girl I have to spend my life with to at least feel something other then contempt, hate or loathing for me."

He turned towards the door she hadn't noticed before.

"I want to be with somebody that is honest with me, somebody that doesn't recoil from my touch, somebody I can be open with."

His whole body seemed to slump as he started to move towards the exit. Reaching it he looked at her over his shoulder.

"I want a girl that can tell me she loves me because of me, not because she is forced by some spell."

He was gone before an utterly shocked Hermione could say or do anything.

* * *

><p>Mrs. Malfoy was sitting in the library at the Manor and couldn't really concentrate on the book she was holding. She knew that her son had gone and done what was necessary in order to prevent Hermione and himself succumbing to the Pain. Though when he had come home a while ago she had although seen all too clearly that something had gone horribly wrong somewhere along the line. He hadn't said anything, hadn't even stopped long enough for a proper greeting, but there had been tears in his eyes. She had never seen tears in his eyes ever before.<p>

There was the urge in her motherly heart to go and check on her son, but she also knew that he wasn't a little boy anymore and needed to get his own life sorted... by himself. Then again, maybe a bit of compassion wouldn't go amiss. He had been through a lot during the last month and the fact of him coming home alone didn't bode well for the future of his marriage.

If that was still in any way intact in the first place.

As she reached his door her worries were proven to be justified, there was a sobbing noise emitting from her son's room. She knocked. More out off habit than actually thinking it necessary.

"Go away!" the yelled answer was.

She ignored it and just entered.

"Draco..."

The picture before her left her speechless. Here was the always confident and superior seeming heir to the name of Malfoy reduced to a sobbing wreck. His eyes were red and puffy, his face tear stained and the wet patches on his shirt and trousers did tell an all too clear story.

Feeling his parent's gaze upon him he turned away, not wanting to appear like a lovesick idiot before his mother. He needn't have bothered. She sat next to him on the bed and waited patiently for him to explain what had happened.

"I don't want this! I never did and I most certainly don't want it now!" he snapped.

"Are you talking about having to get married? Or is the fact that you had to consummate your union the issue here. I wouldn't have thought you would object to being able to get close to a pretty girl like Hermione, but maybe she's really not your type."

Draco turned and stared at the witch before him. She was taking the piss here, surely!

"What are you talking about? Isn't it bad enough that I'm chained to a woman that neither loves nor even likes me? She has nothing but utter contempt for me. She wants to marry the Weasel after all. She always has and always will."

New tears were starting to blur his vision.

"I'm quite sure that isn't true, dear. She's going to love you over time..."

"Over time! Over how much time, a month, a year, a decade? She has never truly felt anything that wasn't the spell's doing. She is not going to want me, not now, not ever."

"You don't know that."

"Yes, I do. For her I'm a loathsome, evil little cockroach. I'm nothing but a ferret to her. She has never wanted me to be close to her..."

Narcissa Malfoy sighed. This was going to be a very long week.

"Draco, listen to me, you both had a lot to deal with over the past month, but last Friday you both were looking so happy together, genuinely happy. Was that all part of the spell? No, it wasn't. You both fell for each other and it doesn't matter how much you try to convince yourself otherwise."

"Yeah, right."

"Draco, Hermione loves you. Please give her the chance to find that out for herself. She'll come to you eventually, you'll see."

There was no answer. It was obvious that he didn't believe a word his mother was saying. Hermione didn't love him, she loved Ronald bleedin' Weasley!


	11. Spell fallout

Hermione stared at the door through which she had seen her husband vanish. His words were resonating in her mind.

_'All you're feeling or think you're feeling is an illusion.'_

_'I never wanted to get married or have a family.'_

_'I want a girl that can tell me she loves me.'_

A girl that loved him... No, she wasn't that girl. She had only ever wanted to become Ron's wife, not Draco's. Though she now was his wife regardless of what she wanted.

Just thinking of his name made her heart ache. She didn't want to have to do this any longer. She had been through too much in her short life. First she had been roped into fighting a Basilisk, then it was fighting Death Eaters at Hogwarts and to top it all they had been on the run in a desperate attempt to find and destroy the horcruxes.

She wanted to go home and don't have to bother about anything more exciting then the weekly shopping list. She didn't want to have to deal with Binding Spells and their inevitable effects on her life. She wanted to be together with the man she first had been having a crush on and then fell in love with, Ronald Weasley. He was the one man she wanted to be with.

Falling to her knees tears were starting to roll over her cheeks.

"Damn you, Draco Malfoy!" she screamed.

Her mind told her it was foolish to feel what she felt, if it wasn't real, but she couldn't help it. In this very moment she could hope and want for Ron all she liked, but the truth was that the only person capable of consoling her right now would be Draco Malfoy. Only in his arms would she find solace. Only his soft voice would comfort her. It was him her heart wanted, only him.

Through her tears she stared at the wooden floor. She didn't want to go back to her flat. Ron would most likely look for her there first. She didn't want to go to Harry either. He wouldn't say anything, but... Hard sobs hurt in her chest and her throat felt too dry to breath or swallow. Utter misery seemed to engulf her. There was nowhere she could go. There was no one she could go to.

Why was she punished like this? What had she done that she deserved this?

* * *

><p>Harry was sitting in the Potions lab of the Auror Office and start at his cauldron. Everything seemed to have gone fine so far, seemed. A moment later the green concoction started to bubble and he had just enough time to through himself under the desk before an explosion shook the room and weirdly coloured, fluffy <em>stuff<em> was floating to the floor all around the room.

He peeked out from his hiding place. The walls were showing black patches and there was a small crater in the heavy stone slap where his cauldron had previously been.

"Merlin! Harry, what happened?" Neville suddenly asked behind him.

"I have no idea." scrambling to his feet Harry tried to read the rest of the instructions that were left of the singed piece of parchment, "No. I did everything correctly. Strange."

"Mr. Potter? There's a girl to see you at reception."

It was one of the filing clerks that worked in the administrative side of the Auror Office. Neville and Harry exchanged glances. That could mean one of two things, either Ginny wanted to surprise her fiancé with an invitation to lunch or something had happened between Hermione and Malfoy.

"Tell her I'll be right with her the moment I've cleaned up here."

"Will do."

'I just hope it's Ginny.'

"You go, I'll clear this up." Neville offered.

"Seriously?"

"Yeah. Whatever has happened might be too important as that you waste your time sorting a potion gone wrong."

"Thanks, Neville, I owe you."

"I'll remind you."

Harry sprinted to the reception and his hopes about lunch with his girl were gone in an instant. It was a distraught looking Hermione that awaited him.

She looked terrible. For starters was she wearing a pyjama. Which was rather odd as it was around mid-morning. Then again, technically she was on her honeymoon... Well, her actually having a proper honeymoon with Malfoy was as likely as a Harry getting the chance of seeing McGonagall drunk. Maybe she had had a good time with Ron... No. He called himself a fool for even contemplating this option. The Binding would never allow her to get frisky with anybody except her lawful wedded husband.

Looking at his friend Harry's heart sunk as deep as it could sink. Her eyes were red and tear filled, there were large damp patches on the ends of her sleeves and her face looked like she hadn't slept in a week. She was a mess. Whatever that damned ferret had done to her, he would make him pay!

"Harry!"

Hermione threw herself into his awaiting arms and started crying. Harry sighed. Whatever could go wrong seemed to be going wrong since last Friday. First the row, then Hermione having to consummate her marriage in order not to succumb to literally mind destroying pain and a slow death and he didn't even want to know what Malfoy had done now in order to reduce her to this state.

"Shh. Everything is going to be okay, you'll see."

"I'm nothing to him! He doesn't want me. He never wanted me. It was all a lie."

'Hold on!' Harry frowned unseen by his crying friend, 'Why does she suddenly care about what the ferret is thinking about her? Or if he loves her or not? Why... what's...?'

"Hermione? What was all a lie?"

"He's said that he loves me, but he never wanted to get married or have a family."

"Right?"

"He doesn't want me, even so he told me I have ignited the fire within him."

Nothing of what she was saying made any sense, not in any way her friend could comprehend any way She was rambling, he knew, but he would have expected her to at least explain what had happened.

"I'll bring you home."

"NO!" she shrieked, "He'll come and find me and I can't see him. I can't tell him..." the rest was lost in more sobbing.

Harry sighed. So much for not getting involved in the love life of his friend anymore. He was already involved in it up to his ears.

* * *

><p>Draco was sitting at the desk in his room. He hadn't bothered getting dressed, or having breakfast for that matter. He just sat there and stared at the book in his hand. He knew it by heart and there was nothing in there that gave any consolation or even the hint as how he could escape the pain in his chest he was feeling.<p>

He had been sobbing like a little boy while his mother had been trying to comfort him. None of her words had brought any comfort though. They had only reminded him why he was in the situation he was in. He had been given the chance to do right by Hermione and get a proper Reversal performed, but for some reason he had been the king of procrastination and now he had to deal with the fallout. He had been a coward. It would have been better to give her the chance of choosing the man she wanted to spend her life with, not having a spell decide it for her.

He wasn't sure why he hadn't done what his mother had told him to do. No, that wasn't true. He knew exactly why he had been so reluctant to come clean and tell her to her face that she was his Binding Partner the first time they had met in her office. He had just intended to mess about a bit. It had all been a game. She was Granger and he had been playing pranks on her for so long, it had become second nature. Now he was paying for his childishness.

A truly grown-up man would have faced the situation and acted accordingly. He wouldn't have just hidden behind brash behaviour, flowers to convey his thoughts and he would certainly not had that row with his wife only hours after having got married. The fact of the matter was, he wasn't a grown-up. Deep within he was still the spoilt, frightened little boy who had never had the chance to make proper friends or find a person he could trust. He had never had the chance to experience the giddy feeling because the girl he had a crush on was smiling at him. He had never had the chance to fall for a witch that saw right through him and knew what he really was like underneath the snotty exterior.

The pride that had him becoming a Death Eater had also let him to edge of sanity. If he didn't pluck up the courage and for once in his life did the right thing, she would hunt him down and bestowing the mercy of a fast death wouldn't be in her plans, only endless suffering.

Tears slowly dropped onto the pine, oak and mahogany inlays of the desktop.

'Face it, you love her and she hates your guts! You could have had her and a happy future, but instead of listening to her concerns and taking them seriously you wanted to force your will upon her.'

The voice in his head wasn't any more complimentary than his mother had been not so long ago. She had told him that he needed to make an effort to win the witch he had been destined to marry. She had told him to woo Hermione or, if he found himself incapable of doing so, at least propose to her in a way she would want the wizard indenting to marry her to do.

'There was the chance of happy-ever-after for you and you idiot had nothing better to do than blow it.'

Hearing these words from his parent had been bad enough, but now his... was it his conscience? _It_ was using them as well. Seemingly there was no escape for him.

Her saw her laughing face before his inner eye, reminding him of them dancing together last Friday. She had been holding on to him as he had whirled her through the room. The happiness she had felt had been visible in her eyes. She had been content to be with him, to be his wife. It didn't last. He had managed to destroy all his mother, Potter and even Weasley had been working for, Hermione's happiness.

'I'm nothing but a coward and a bastard.' he thought. Though there was nothing but sadness left within him. He had had his chance and he'd blown it. Big time.

His fingers were flicking through the page of the slim volume they were still holding. He randomly stopped at a page and read.

_We as fathers have the duty to protect our daughters by not enslaving them with the Binding._

He been reading this bit before, but mostly skipped over it. He wasn't a father after all and he had never intended to be one. Well, at least he didn't think he would want to do it willingly. Though his curiosity was roused and he read on.

_We might regard them as less strong willed or even weaker than our sons, but the truth is that they are the ones nature has intended to bear our next generation. They are stronger than most of us will ever realise. Their bodies can endure what our would break under. Their minds are a fortress. If we don't want to be kept out permanently by not caring about our daughters the way we should, they might never again let us in._

_It is important to keep our daughters safe and keep them from harm in the form of uncaring young men, be they wizard or Muggle. Which in turn means we have to teach our sons. We cannot allow them to grow up into unthinking, uncaring, brutish creatures who value their way of boundless life higher than the possibility of finding a meaningful, fulfilling and true relationship with the other sex._

_Our sons need to learn that only in a true bond to a daughter they will find salvation._

_Never allow your sons to become commanding, sneering, vindictive or ridden by their own might. Might is ephemeral, only true love survives everything, even time._

Draco glared at the pages. What a load of... He threw the book across the room and scowled at it. It made him sound a right... His head was buried in his hands a moment later as a realised that he had become exactly what the book had warned he shouldn't be.

'True love will survive everything. Yeah, right! ' he thought. There was no way for him to find true love. Not any longer.

It took a moment before it really hit him. He had already found his true love. The only problem was that it had come in the form of Hermione Granger!

* * *

><p>"She's asleep now." Ginny said as she settled next to Harry on the long bench in the kitchen, "What has happened, Harry?"<p>

The wizard next to her looked thoughtful into his tea. What indeed had happened? He had been able to only get fragments information our off his friend as she had been mainly crying her eyes out.

"I'm not entirely sure, but somehow Malfoy has managed to prevent them both having to die a long and painful death somehow, without to actually consummate their marriage no less."

"I know she was terrified when she thought she had done the deed with him." Ginny agreed, "Though, what exactly has he done? I mean either to consummate your marriage or you don't. It's not that you can do it a bit..." her face went red when she looked at her fiancé. Who smirked a all too knowing smirk.

"You remember what _we _did in my last year at Hogwarts? We didn't _consummate_ either..."

No, they hadn't. It had only been a precaution so that they could say they hadn't slept with each other should anybody ever really try to find out, probably using Veritas Serum while doing so.

"But that wouldn't be enough, would it?" Ginny asked. She wanted to believe that it would, but knew better.

He sighed.

"No, it wouldn't. What we did would never be enough to save them."

They both contemplated the fact that this left only one conclusion.

"She was on about him wanting to have a girl love him."

Ginny turned to face the wizard next to her.

"What?"

Harry looked into the deep eyes of the witch he would marry.

"Hermione was babbling about Malfoy wanting a girl who loves him. She apparently doesn't love him. Not the right way somehow."

"How can you love somebody the wrong way?"

"I don't know. It was something about her feelings being an illusion or something."

There was silence for a moment.

"Harry, the ferret loves her."

"We know that. I was at their wedding."

"No, no that's not what I mean. They got together because of the Binding Spell. Whatever happened in Ron's room on Friday, it made them think themselves in love."

"Though he doubts her feelings for him now?"

"Yes. That's because he now knows the difference. Malfoy truly loves Hermione. It must feel different somehow from before."

"Hm." he needed to think about that one. Although it made sense in a way, he wasn't sure what that meant for them. Or Hermione for that matter, "Do you think Hermione's aware of that as well?"

Ginny shrugged. She didn't want to tell the wizard looking at her with hopeful eyes that she had heard their friend mutter Draco's name in her sleep.


	12. Accio my husband!

The corridor was painted grey. A rather dark and depressing shade of grey, but then anybody sitting in this corridor was probably too occupied with his own thoughts as that he, or she, would actually notice. This part of the Ministry of Magic was rarely frequented, which spoke of the fact that not many wizards or witches normally filed for divorce. There was a rather stoic looking wizard sitting on one of the uncomfortable chairs opposite a dark brown door.

It really was a depressing place to be.

The door opened and a rather fierce looking witch poked her head out. She had her hair in a tied bun at the back of her neck, her black business suit was crisp and she looked like she had been breakfasting on lemons.

"Mr. Malfoy?"

The sad figure stood up and gave a small nod.

"Come in."

The office wasn't any more inviting than its occupant. They took their respective seat in front of and behind an enormous desk.

"Well then, Mr. Malfoy, you have decided to file for an immediate divorce..." she scanned the papers before her then looked up, "On which grounds exactly? I'm quite sure you know there are very strict regulations in regards to what constitutes a valid reason for it to be granted."

"Is being under the influence of a spell a valid reason?"

Draco had been woken up this morning to the fact that he was now married for a week, but had as yet to actually start married life. His heart had been aching worse than ever before when he thought of the witch that was supposed to be by his side. He had done a lot of thinking since he had left her in the Three Broomsticks the other day. He knew she thought that the feelings she had for him were true, and so had he, but after them having _that_ row on their wedding day he had come to realise the truth.

He might not have liked as things presented themselves to him right now, but he, Draco Malfoy, was in love with his wife. Somehow he had managed to fall for the clever and cute witch without noticing. When he did, it was already too late.

"Under a spell?" the sharp voice of the witch now facing him get him back to the present.

"The Binding Spell. I don't know, if you're familiar with it. It means a witch and wizard have to get married and...," he skipped the part about them having had to consummate their bond, "and only that will prevent them from dying a slow and very painful death."

"Is it not possible to... get rid of this spell? I'm sure I heard..."

"Yes. In theory that's correct. In our case the Reversal didn't work and we had to go through with the wedding after all."

"Was it a consensual?"

"What? Us getting married? Yes, of course. Neither my wife nor me are stupid enough to choose a slow and excruciating death, if there's another way."

"Why is your wife not hear with you?"

"What do you think? Do you really believe we are on speaking terms? We had the mother of all rows before our wedding reception was over."

The ministry official glared at him. For just a moment Draco got the feeling she was trying to tell him to be glad that somebody had actually been prepared to marry him.

"So? Do we get a divorce?"

A large pile of papers was filled in with the wave of her wand and then they were handed to Draco.

"Get your wife to sign here, here, here and here. Once she has done that, you are both regarded as single again."

Gathering all the paperwork from the desk and pushing everything into his cloak pocket Draco was about to leave, when the voice behind him stopped him dead in his tracks.

"You realise that I might be able to grant your an official dissolving of your marriage, but I won't be able to reverse the Binding Spell. That needs to be done separately."

A glance at the delicate design around his left ring finger and hand told him that it shouldn't be a problem. She didn't want him after all.

"Good day."

Without another glance back he closed the door behind him.

* * *

><p>The owl had found Hermione still at Harry's. She wasn't hiding... Well, yes, she was. She was too much of a coward to go back to work and face her colleagues and have to explain why she wasn't Ron's wife, but still wearing a rather delicate pattern all over her left ring finger.<p>

She didn't want to have to explain. She didn't want to have to face all the rumours and all the gossip, she knew would be starting the moment news got out that their Hero Couple had fallen apart because of something that happened more then two decade ago and which bound her to none other than Draco Malfoy. She could see the headline in the Daily Prophet

_War hero forced into marriage to Death Eater_

There was no point in paying any attention to what the so called journalists from the Prophet cooked up. She was passed carry about most things. The possibility that all the newspapers and magazines had already printed any conceivable angle of this rather unexpected turn of events didn't enter her thoughts. She still hadn't realised that she had lost quite a bit of time while trying to battle the Pain.

The papers had already had their field day concerning her wedding. Anything possible and impossible had already been written about it. It had cost Ginny all her persuasiveness and female power to prevent Harry from cursing every and all that had dared to even think about voicing his or her opinion about his friend and this rather unexpected and highly unusual wedding. The dust had settled soon enough and now nobody so much as blinked at the mention of the war hero Hermione Granger having got married to none other than Draco Malfoy.

Lost in thoughts she untangled the heavy letter from the owl's leg, fed it some owl treats and then watched it sly off again. The envelope was thick and the parchment it contained of very good quality. The first thing she noticed was the coat of arms from the Ministry. Why would somebody be sending her rather official looking papers?

The moment her eyes found the official heading her breath hitched in her throat.

_Decree Nisi _it said in sprawling letters at the top. Hermione unfolded the rest of the parchment and found several lines with crosses next to them, indicating that her signature was required. Skipping through the thick bundle she looked for the piece of parchment that would explain all this. It was at the very back.

_Dear Mrs. Malfoy,_

she refrained from screaming. Kreacher was upset enough as it was about her living with his Master in an _inappropriate way_ as he put it.

_we would like to inform you that a Decree Nisi has been granted pending your signature. Once you have signed all relevant papers, please owl them back to us at your earliest convenience so that we can finalise the proceedings and grant you the Decree Absolute._

There was a strange squiggle at the bottom.

Taking a deep breath she tried to understand what she was holding in her hands. The Decree Absolute was issued when a divorce was granted. A divorce... She looked at bit closer at the pages. Next to the lines with the crosses where she was supposed to sign there were the neat signatures of her so called husband. She stared at the name.

_Draco Malfoy_

There it was. He had really had the audacity to go to the ministry and... She was fuming. Forgotten were all the tears, the heart ache and most certainly the row they had been having on their wedding day. That row was nothing in comparison to the one they would be having once she got a hold of him. How dare he go behind her back and file for a divorce?! He could have had at least the manners to tell her before going ahead and ending their marriage. Their marriage... She was going to be a widow soon, if he hadn't a seriously good excuse for his actions.

Without thinking she grabbed her wand, marched over to the window and opened it.

"Accio my husband!" she yelled.

* * *

><p>Harry was sitting in his kitchen trying not to worry about his friend. She hadn't left her room today. That wasn't unusual. What was unusual though was the fact that he hadn't heard her cry any longer. Was she finally getting over... whatever had happened between her and Malfoy? He hoped so, against his better judgement when he was honest.<p>

He nearly dropped his spoon into the delicious soup as something or somebody shouting and yelling seemed to be approaching the house from above. Looking towards the kitchen ceiling he wondered, what was happening now. He got his answer a moment later as someone come shooting out off the fireplace. Kreacher screamed and tried to hit whatever was now lying in a heap of tangled limps, robes and a massive amount of soot.

"OW! Get off you demented house elf!" a rather familiar voice bellowed in between coughs.

"Malfoy? Kreacher, leave him alone."

"Invading Master's house! Kreacher taking care of intruder." and with that he aimed the cast iron frying pan bang into the middle of the presumed invader.

The sound of bone breaking could be heard a moment later, accompanied by a yell of pain.

"Kreacher! Leave him alone!" Harry ordered.

The house elf pulled a face and seemed to be considering, if it was worth having to punish himself later just to have another swing. He decided against it and bustled off, muttering as he went.

Harry hastily made his way over to his unexpected guest who was now flat on his back, trying to breath.

"Are you okay?"

Silly question really, considering that Draco had just been hit with enough force to break several rips rendering him barely able to stay conscious while battling with the intense pain. There was nothing he could do, Harry knew. He had never been any good at healing spells. Well, not enough to heal the damage he surveyed before him. Without hesitation he ran for the door leading to the stairs and shouted at the top of his lungs, "HERMIONE! I need you in the kitchen! NOW! It's an emergency."

She didn't bother walking down. She apparated right in front of him.

"What's happened?"

"Kreacher hit Malfoy with the frying pan. He's badly injured. I can't heal him."

She didn't think about what to do. She didn't think at all. Her instincts kicked in and she had reached the wizard writhing in pain on the kitchen floor before her friend had time to enter the room. Harry watched her hauling her husband off the floor and then starting to spin as if he wasn't any heavier than a fluffy duvet.

It took about five minutes before the adrenaline level in his body had decreased sufficiently in order for him to process what had just happened.

* * *

><p>"Help! I need help! My husband has been badly injured..."<p>

Hermione had materialised in the middle of the busy reception area of St. Mungo's hospital. She was holding a groaning Draco in her arms, trying to not have him slip from her grasp. Moments later strong arms were gently lifting him away from her. Frantically she tried to hold on.

"It's okay, dear. We're going to help your husband. Let go... That's right. We're going to take care of him." a soothing female voice was whispering. The young healer behind her held her shoulders in a gentle, but controlling grip. She saw a healer taking the injured wizard she had been summoning into a room to her right. The witch behind her nudged her to follow. So she did.

Hermione's mind was spinning though. She had been so angry and disappointed and... She hadn't been thinking straight. Not even in her wildest dreams would she have thought it possible to accio a person. She had never tried it in the past, but she would have been quite sure that it was impossible to do. Seemingly she had been wrong. Somehow she had managed to _get_ him to Grimmauld Place. Where he had been... She frowned. Kreacher had hit him with a frying pan. Why had he done that and why had Draco not materialised in her bedroom, but downstairs in the kitchen? Too many question and definitely not enough answers.

She was led into a small room where she could see several healers with potions, ointments, muttering spells under their breaths. There was a comfy chair in the corner which she sat on while her eyes were glued to the scene in front of her. Ever now and then she could see a bit of the injured wizard which had been stripped of most of his clothing and when she saw the massive bruise on his left side she gasped.

Hiding her face in her hands she didn't try to stop the tears. They were flowing freely over her face.

It was dark and the room was lit only by a few candles as Hermione finally re-surfaced from the misery that had taken possession of her. Draco was covered by clean sheets and a thick blanket. Was he unconscious or just sleeping? She didn't know. Had they been able to heal him? Would there be any lasting damage? An icy chill run through her. This was all her fault. If she hadn't... The logical part of her brain told her that it was nonsense to feel guilty. There was nothing she could have done to prevent Kreacher from hitting him, maybe except for not summoning him in the first place.

Though her heart felt like it was breaking. She didn't want to see him hurt. She didn't want him to be mad at her for using _that spell_ on him. She wanted him to... She blinked. She wanted him to hold her?! It came as a shock, but fleeing into his strong arms was what she wanted to do right now. He was the one person that could make her feel better. His smile would light up her world. Soft words spoken by his voice would chase away all her fears.

It wasn't easy for Hermione to come to terms with what she was slowly realising.

He had been telling her that she only thought herself in love with him. He knew better as to presume himself still under the influence of the Binding. He was free and... because... She now knew what he had been talking about. He had been right. The feelings she had been having for him in Ron's room hadn't been real. It had been the Binding letting her think she was in love with Draco when she wasn't. Her gaze fell onto his pale face. It was even paler than usual. Though for some strange reason it radiated a contentment she would have never associated with the ex-Slytherin.

While she was taking a deep breath her sharp mind pretended it had never come to the conclusion it had just reached.

'I love him.' she thought, 'I truly love him.'


	13. Nobody will love me

**N/A Dearest Readers,**

**it's not easy for me to find the time for writing in the moment, there is simply too much else going on in my life. I'm going to try my best and at least update every week.**

**So, let me know what you think so far. Comments, suggestions and constructive criticism welcome.**

**Enjoy!**  
>o<p>

* * *

><p>Draco was wondering for a moment, if that demented house elf had possibly crushed his legs and the healers had been forced to… No, the healers would have just healed him, hence the name. So, what was it that was heavily lying across his legs then? He slowly opened his eyes and found the room he was in to be rather small and dark. There was no window and the only light illuminating the scene was the thin line underneath the door.<p>

It took a while but finally he saw that it was a person causing the numbness in his legs, a person who had shoulder long hair. He vaguely remembered hearing Potter trying to call his attacker back and there had been somebody else present… Had it been Hermione? He wasn't sure. The pain that had been inflicted upon him had commanded all his efforts otherwise he would have just succumbed to the realms of unconsciousness. Though it had been a futile battle he had lost in the end.

He sighed.

Then he started to have a closer look at his surroundings. He was lying in a bed that wasn't his own, in a room without any lights and wherever this room was, he didn't know about it. The smell was familiar though. A moment later it hit him: St. Mungo's. Whoever had been called by Potter had taken him to the hospital. Was the witch abusing his legs as a pillow the one who brought him here? Most likely. Though why was she still here?

He slowly lifted his head and peered at the sleeping figure. She muttered in her sleep. It sounded like, _I know the truth_, Y_ou don't know that_ and something seriously mumbled that could have been _I love you_. She seemed to have some interesting dream he presumed, but that didn't help him in any way. He still didn't know who she was.

Maybe he didn't want to know? Falling back into the rather lumpy pillows he was wondering for a moment why he didn't just wake her up. His legs were starting to hurt through all the numbness. Sitting up Draco slowly moved his legs as carefully as he could. Why he was so considerate to the strange witch he didn't know, but the last thing he was in the mood of was another row.

Substituting his legs with one of the pillows he was wondering for a moment what he would be doing, should this be indeed his… He didn't even what to think about Hermione as his wife. They had never really had a chance as a couple. It had all been the Binding spell. She would have married the weasel not him, if she would have had a choice, which of course she didn't.

When had he fallen for her though? Because he could deny it all he wanted, the truth was that he loved his wife. He loved Hermione Granger. Not that it mattered in any way. If he hadn't got the divorce proceedings going she would have. He was rather surprised that she hadn't yet. Now all that was needed was her signature and the Weasley would be able to hold the big society wedding they had been aiming for. Granger would become the dear little wife of Weaselbee and that would be the end of it.

His heart felled like it was breaking when he thought of all the things he had wanted to do with her. He had wanted to show her the library at the Manor and see her eyes light up with the prospect of having all the time in the world to read every single tome available. He had intended to take her on a proper honeymoon. His plans had included a romantic weekend in Paris, wandering the streets and bridges of Venice and them staying on a deserted island in the South Pacific. His throat felt too dry to even sigh any longer. Nothing of all the things he had been looking forward of doing with her would ever happen now. He would be returning to the Manor and tell his mother that he had let his wife go. She wouldn't be thrilled, but after all the pain Draco had been through in the last days the anger of his parent was nothing he feared particularly. He didn't look forward to it, but there was nothing else left for him any longer. He had had the bad luck to fall for the wrong girl. His memory conjured up images of Hermione laughing with him at their reception. She had been fun to be with, witty, clever and never short of a comeback to any of his teasing. Maybe she could have been the right girl, if the circumstances had been different, but… He closed his eyes and let his mind wander to a world where he was a happily married man with a witch by his side that was serious about him.

Sleep took him away not long afterwards.

* * *

><p>Harry sat in the drawing room and had been staring into the fire for the past half hour. Ginny should be arriving any minute now, but his thoughts seemed to be unable to leave the topic of Hermione and Malfoy alone. Time and again he saw her shocked and worried face as she hurried over to his injured body. There hadn't been a moment's hesitation. She hadn't even asked what exactly had happened. All she had cared about was getting her husband to St. Mungo's.<p>

"Harry?"

Ginny's soft voice reached not only his ears but also his heart. How lucky could he count himself to be with a girl like her as his fiancé?

"What's happened? Your letter only said that you wanted to see me as soon as possible."

She sat next to him and found herself in a tight embrace a moment later.

"I love you, Ginny." he whispered.

"I know and I love you, too." she replied with a smile in her voice.

"I want us to get married as soon as we can."

"Why? What's happened?"

"Malfoy came here earlier for some reason. Kreacher thought he was an intruder and hit him with the frying pan, the cast-iron one. He was quite badly hurt. I called for Hermione as I knew I couldn't heal him. I had expected her to argue, leave him in his pain and even ignore him, but she just rushed over, picked him up and took him to St. Mungo's."

"She would leave nobody injured, if she could help. You know that."

"Yes, but why was he here in the first place? I mean, I haven't invited him and I can't imagine Hermione doing it."

Ginny thought about that for a moment, but couldn't find any real explanation either. With a sigh Harry let his head fall onto her shoulder. Why couldn't they be happy together? It might not be a match made in heaven, but for that one evening they had been looking wonderful together. Them dancing, talking and laughing together like a real couple had been a bit weird at the beginning, but everybody had seen them to be genuinely happy together. He would have thought they might actually have a chance to make it work and it might have, if they hadn't had that row.

Their thoughts were interrupted by Ron as he came stumbling out off the fireplace.

"Have you heard what is making the rounds at the Ministry in the moment?" he asked in between coughs.

"No. What's happened?" Harry asked.

"The ferret has filed for divorce."

"WHAT!" His sister sounded shocked. "Why would he do that?"

"No idea, but I'm sure it's true."

"That might explain why he came here."

Both Weasleys looked at him.

"What are you talking about, Harry?" Ron asked, oblivious to the events taking place earlier that evening.

"Malfoy came here at tea time and then was set upon by Kreacher."

"Eh?"

"Never mind. Hermione took him to hospital and hasn't come back yet. I presume he came to tell her that he was ending their marriage."

"Oh…"

Ginny had moved into the corner of the couch and was following her own lines of thought. She didn't think that Draco had come to tell Hermione about his plans to get a divorce. He hadn't been doing much direct talking to her in the last month when it was really important and their lives depended upon it. He wouldn't… she blinked. How did the ex-enemy of Harry know, where he lived? Well, yeah, he might know that. It wasn't exactly a secret, but she doubted him wanting to come here. He would have sent and owl to inform his unwilling spouse that he was going to end their… entanglement.

"Guys, he didn't come here on his own accord. Either his mother made him come in order for him to tell Hermione face-to-face that he was going to get a divorce or, and I personally believe that is what really happened, he was summoned somehow by our dear friend."

"What? Hermione just used Accio and he appeared."

"Something like that."

"Ginny, I'm quite sure you can't summon a person using that spell." Harry interjected.

"We have all seen her do things that she shouldn't be able doing, haven't we?"

Both wizards nodded. They all had seen their friend do things most people, even from the magical world, thought impossible.

* * *

><p>Hermione felt stiff in rather unexpected places as if she had been leaning over for too long. Groaning quietly she tried to straighten up and found her torso being rather reluctant to obey her commands. It took a while but when she finally was sitting straight again she realised that she had been sleeping leant over, slouching into what might be supposed a pillow and next to the legs of somebody.<p>

Following the contours of the body before her she saw that the person probably had to be male. At least she presumed him to be male as his hair seemed rather short, and rather light. There wasn't much light in the room, nothing except one candle on the table next to the door, but it was enough for her to be able to make out some outlines of the guy in the bed.

A heartbeat later she remembered. She was in St. Mungo's. She had been at Harry's and Kreacher had hit Malfoy… Her eyes went wide when she recalled her husband being injured and her taking him here to be healed.

Malfoy. Draco. Her husband. No ex-husband once she had signed the divorce papers. For the briefest of moments she was wondering what would happen should she refuse to sign them. What would he do, if she decided to keep him in the gage that their marriage clearly was for him? Would he be willing to try and bribe her? Threaten her maybe? Or just ignore it and carry one with his life.

She wasn't sure, if she wanted to find out.

'Why do I love him?' she wondered. Then again, was there any reasonable explanation for her feelings any longer? She very much doubted it. First it had been the Binding spell and now nature seemed to have run its course and made her fall for him. It didn't matter in any case. He didn't want her any longer. He had filed for them to being granted a divorce.

She sighed. Was it already too late for her to tell him the truth? Had they used up all the chances they had been given? The row, her wanting to get their marriage annulled, he wanted a divorce as an annulment wasn't really on the cards any longer. The memories of him telling her what he had done in order to save them both from the Pain made her blush. He had seen her like no other man had ever seen her, not even Ron. He hadn't taken advantage of the situation though. He easily could have, but he didn't.

Him muttering in his sleep caught her attention.

"Hermione, please… I'm not going to be a coward… I promise…Hermione… I love you…"

Her hand flew to her mouth, stifling the sounds of surprise trying to escape her. He was dreaming about her. Well, she had been dreaming about him as well, though maybe in a different context.

"Please don't leave me… I'll do my best…Nobody will love me, if not even you can feel anything for me…"

There was a hint of bitterness but also desperation in his mumbled words. Her fingers were brushing a strand of hair out off his face before she even noticed what she was doing. He seemed to notice though, as a smile was spreading over his face.

"Hermione?" he whispered as his eyes slowly opened.

Her fingers still touching his forehead she froze.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said all those things. I hurt you and I didn't even realise it."

His eyes were dark and filled with emotion.

"I've been a fool. Please let me make it up to you. Let me take care of you. Allow me to be your friend and I promise I'll never push the boundaries you set."

The sincerity behind his words made Hermione's throat go dry. Did he actually mean all those things? Did he really want her in his life? Was he truly sorry?

"I love you, Hermione."

With a happy sigh his eyes closed again. Moments later his breathing was even and the witch sitting next to his bed knew he had fallen asleep again while her mind was in turmoil.

* * *

><p>Harry had gone to bed around midnight. He couldn't wait up for Hermione any longer. There was an important transfigurations exam scheduled for the next day and he couldn't afford to fail. Should she come home during the night Kreacher would be there, if she needed anything.<p>

But sleep eluded him as he was worrying about his friend. She deserved to be happy and if that required her being married to Malfoy so be it. Was she happy though? She had been for a few hours on her wedding day. It had all ended in tears.

"What a bloody mess…"

Turning over he punched the pillow into a ball and tried to get comfortable on it again.

Promising Ginny to not get involve with the love life of their friend any longer might be a promise he needed to break. It was unsettling, to say the least, seeing Hermione with red eyes and blotchy face due to her having spend hours crying. She had always been the strongest of their trio. She had never given up, never given in and done whatever was necessary regardless of the circumstances. She had been braving Bellatrix and her cruelty at the Manor. Not even being tortured had broken her fighting spirit. Being bound to Malfoy seemingly had. What was it with the bastard that he had managed to get under her skin?

Harry turned over yet again. Could one row really destroy all that he and Malfoy's mother had worked so hard to accomplish? For the sake of Hermione and himself he hoped that wasn't the case. She deserved to be happy and he wasn't willing to play the match mender all the time. He had his own love life to think of and he _would_ be marrying Ginny first chance he got.

He looked at the ceiling. Was Hermione still with her husband? Were they talking things through? Were they giving themselves the chance they deserved? No, most likely not. Either she had left the moment the healers had started treating Malfoy or they had had another row, probably been threatened with being thrown out off the hospital in the process. Maybe it was time to let go of his wishful thinking that there might be the possibility of… He didn't notice himself finally slipping into the land of dreams.

It was the sound of quiet sobbing that woke Harry up again.

"Hermione?"

Trying to rub the sleep from his eyes he sat up and found it was indeed Hermione who was sitting next to him on the bed. She had her face hidden in her hands and her shoulders were shaking. Without another word he pulled her into his arms, feeling her tears soaking through the fabric of his pyjama moments later. Padding her back he muttered words of comfort.

"What happened? Is he okay?"

The still snivelling witch nodded.

"Did you have another row?"

Was he supposed to be glad when she shook her head? He wasn't sure and therefore asked instead what had happened.

"It took the healers a lot of spells and potions to heal him. There was a lot of damage to his lungs and one rib nearly pierced his heart as well. He'll be all right, but he needs to stay in hospital for a few days to rest."

A few dry sobs followed.

"How are you holding up?"

Her yes were still tear filled when she looked at him.

"He woke up and said he was sorry about saying all those things at our wedding. He wants to be my friend and…"

She hid her face at his shoulder while he could hear her start crying again. Padding her back and gently stroking her hair he saw himself making a quick trip to St. Mungo's the moment he had settled her down. He needed to find out what had been going on and if he wanted his home crying-girl-free he would need to talk to Malfoy. If he had indeed apologised to her everything might not be lost after all.

* * *

><p>Somebody was sitting next to his bed. Draco knew it before he was even fully awake. Growing up around Death Eaters had honed his senses to an astonishing high level. He had never known, if it might be necessary to have his wand in his hand before his mind had left the land of sleep.<p>

Peering through his eye lashes he found the figure to be a wizard, with round glasses.

"Potter?" he muttered while sitting up.

"Malfoy."

"What are you doing here? Or has that lovely _wife_ of mine sent you?" the sarcasm in his voice cut have sliced steel.

"No, she hasn't. Actually, she doesn't know I'm here."

A tired looking frown was all the reply Harry got, so he carried on.

"She woke me up in the middle of the night, crying. What have you bastard said to her? Did you two row again?"

Before he could come up with any more accusations Draco interrupted him.

"For your information Potter, I'm not sure I've seen her at all. If she was the one that got me here, tell her I'm grateful as she probably saved my life. Other then that…"

Harry frowned.

"She said something about you apologising to her and wanting to be her friend."

Draco's eyes went wide. That had only been a dream, hadn't it? It hadn't been real her sitting next to him, her gently eyes lingering on his face. He had not really spoken to her, he hadn't really told her he loved… turning his blushing face he avoided his ex-enemy gaze in order to prevent him from realising that Draco hadn't known that he had actually been talking to the real Hermione and not just a figure in a dream.

"I am going to ask this only once, Malfoy, and I am expecting the truth."

A glaring face was turning towards the saviour of the wizarding world.

"What?"

"Do you honestly love her? Do you love Hermione?"

There was a rather long stretch of silence before any answer was forthcoming.

"Yes, Potter, I do love her."


	14. She is irritating me up the wall

"Ginny, we need to get this sorted once and for all."

Harry was through his fourth cup of tea and felt like he hadn't slept for a week. But nothing of that was important any longer. He wouldn't get any sleep before Hermione and Malfoy did finally get their act anyway. He didn't want to interfere yet again, but as things were going he didn't really have a choice.

"Did you find the divorce papers in Hermione's room?"

Ginny just nodded. It had been quite a while since she had seen him this high on adrenalin. What had happened over the weekend that he was in this kind of state?

"I don't really understand…"

Jam covered lips shut her up as she was kissed by her fiancé.

"I have been woken up yet again by dear sobbing Hermione last Friday night and I'm fed up being woken up by her suddenly appearing in my house in the middle of the night and that brother of yours isn't helping matters either. We'll be going to get him sorted today."

"Ron?"

"Yes, Ron. I had thought he was clever enough to understand that his days with Hermione are numbered, but after that stunt the other day in her flat… George told me about it. He needs to back off, leave her alone and find himself some other girl."

Ginny just looked at him. Merlin, he was on a roll! She wasn't sure, if it had been only their friend yet again showing up in the wee hours of the morning or if he had finally snapped. Even so she knew that something had to be done about Ron, Hermione and Malfoy; she wasn't quite sure what the solution to the mess could, would, should be. Being told that the ferret had confessed to truly loving his wife had been bad enough, but Ron wanting to more or less kidnap his ex-fiancée… She sighed.

„What are you going to do?"

"First, I'll talk to him and if that doesn't work, I'll let Malfoy lose on him."

There was an expression of regret and determination on his face.

"He should be arriving any minute now."

There was a lot _-wush-,_ somebody coughing and then a soot covered Ron got up from the kitchen floor in front of the hearth.

"Tea, Master Ron?" Kreacher asked, swinging an enormous teapot.

"Yes, thanks."

Padding down his cloak to get rid of the last soot he walked over to where his friend and sister were sitting.

"Morning, Harry."

He looked at his sister. There was something of disapproval in his demeanour, but he was smart enough not to say anything.

"Ginny."

"Sit down, mate. We need to have a serious conversation."

Ron's face lit up.

"You two have eloped over the weekend?"

There was a big grin on his face.

"No, we haven't." his sister corrected him.

"Ginny, please."

"He started…"

The look she was given let her pout but she didn't say anything.

"This is about Hermione and Malfoy." Harry began.

"What about them? She'll finally be able to get an annulment or divorce or whatever and _we_ can get married." Ron replied.

"That's not going to happen…" Ginny could be heard saying somewhere in the background.

"What?!"

Harry scowled at her. She shrugged and blew him a kiss.

"I'll see you tonight."

The door closed behind her and Ron looked at his friend.

"What's going on?"

"Ron, you have to let Hermione go."

"What? Why? She doesn't want to be with the ferret. It was all a mistake. It was only the Binding that got them together, nothing else. It's not as if they had feelings for each other. She'll file for a divorce."

"He's already done that. The rumours were true after all."

"WHAT!?"

"Malfoy has already got a Decree Nisi from the Ministry. All Hermione needs to do is sign it."

"That's fantastic." he looked at Harry, suddenly frowning "Why hasn't she told me about that?"

"That, mate, is the reason why you need to let her go."

"What do you mean?"

"When the Ministry owl delivered the papers for her to sign she got rather angry at Malfoy starting divorce proceedings without telling her."

"But that's what she wants, isn't it?"

"Yes and no."

"Eh?"

"Yes, at the beginning, after they had that row, she wanted nothing more than getting her marriage ended. Now…" Harry shrugged, "She loved him, Ron."

There was only stunt silence filling the room.

"You mean, she seriously wants to be with _him_?!"

The disbelieve in Ron's voice would have transferred his feelings even to the most emotionally stunted troll.

"She's told me what happened last Friday when she was here and the papers arrived for her to sign. She just snapped and that is not something our always level headed friend normally does, is it?"

The red haired wizard looked at his black haired friend. No, Hermione was always in control. She didn't get emotional, well, not that often anyhow. Flying of the handle like she had was not what she would normally do. He frowned. This didn't bode well.

"Something rather unexpected happened when she was with Malfoy at the hospital." Harry looked at his friend, "He loves her and she loves him."

The change of colour on the face of the youngest Weasley male was quite impressive. First his face was white as a sheet only to rival a beetroot moments later.

"She can't… She wouldn't! Not him! Under no circumstances. He's drugged her or used the Imperius Curse. I don't believe that she would want to be with something… something like _him_!"

He positively spat the last word.

"But I do." came a calm voice from the door.

* * *

><p>Lady Malfoy was sitting in the drawing room reading as a rather unexpected visitor was announced to her.<p>

"Harry Potter wanting to speak to Mistress."

"Oh? Please show him in."

The dark haired wizard was clothed in a heavy travelling cloak and high boots. His face was reflecting the determination he seemed to be feeling.

"Mrs. Malfoy."

"Mr. Potter. This is a rather unexpected visit."

"Yes, well, there is something we need to discuss."

She observed him for a moment.

"I presume this has something to do with the fact that my son is in hospital. Which he wasn't willing to explain to me I may add."

"Yes," Harry looked nervous, "I know. He had been filing for divorce and when Hermione found out she was less than impressed, used the Accio spell to summon him, successfully, but my house elf thought him an intruder as he came out off the hearth and hit him with a cast-iron frying pan resulting in him being taken to St. Mungo's by Hermione."

"I see."

The head of the Malfoy dynasty was rather impressed by the skill of her daughter-in-law. There had never been any doubt about her being an exceptional witch, but with this she had surpassed herself. Though why had she been summoning her husband in this fashion when he had only done what she had intended to do all along?

"Thing is…"

How was Harry supposed to tell his mother that their might be hope for them? She might get her hopes up and then the couple in question just might screw it all up again. It wouldn't be fair… His thoughts were interrupted by Draco's mother saying in a quiet voice, "Don't worry. I know that neither of them will be giving in that easily. They are both stubborn and realising that they love each other after all isn't going to make things any easier."

Harry stared at the witch before him. He would never have thought her to be… Words failed him.

"I have known for a long time that it wouldn't be easy for my son to find the right witch. I also knew that once he found her he would do his utmost to not having to face up to the fact that she might actually be dear to him. Draco has never known how to express his feelings, well, positive feelings like being in love with somebody."

"He's told her that he loves her in the hospital."

"Of his own free will? Amazing. It seems my daughter-in-law really has the good influence on my son I hoped she would have."

There was genuine happiness in her words. Harry hated to burst her bubble.

"He most likely thought it was a dream."

"Oh." She was very good at hiding her disappointment.

"But the point is they genuinely love each other. It has no longer anything to do with the Binding spell."

A questioning looked was aimed at Harry.

"It seems the Binding lets the people effected think that they are in love. It's probably to make it easier for them at the beginning. Over time the couple will most likely develop natural feelings for each and never know any better. But as Hermione and Draco aren't just any ordinary couple, they did notice. Well, it must have been Draco who found out about it first as he fell for her before the spell had worn off. It must feel different or something, I don't know."

"I see."

"Thing is, Draco has filed for a divorce last Friday. When the papers arrived at my place Hermione went ballistic and… It was he that ended up in hospital."

"Where he then confessed to Hermione?"

"Yes." Harry sighed.

"So, why exactly are you here, Mr. Potter? It seems that your friend and my son have finally found what we all hoped they'd find."

"Yes, you could say that. But your son is still in hospital and my friend is still at my place, irritating me up the wall."

"What about Mr. Weasley?"

That wasn't a question he hadn't anticipated, but should have expected.

"We've talked it through. He didn't want to believe that his girlfriend really loved another man, but… Let's just say Hermione has made sure he's not going to try and convince her to leave her husband any longer."

Raised eyebrows indicated the curiosity Mrs. Malfoy was feeling. She didn't interrupt him though.

"All we have to do now is get them both together again."

"What do you propose, Mr. Potter?"

He told her. Was there a hint of smirk on her face? He wasn't sure, but he wouldn't put it past her. She was also a truly exceptional witch.

* * *

><p>Ron was sitting in the kitchen at the Burrow and watched a spoon stir his tea. He was still somewhat shell shocked. What had he done wrong that his girl suddenly thought she was in love, in genuine love, with that bastard Malfoy? Why couldn't things go back to what they had been? What they were supposed to be.<p>

He sighed. To hear it from her had been even worse than being told by Harry. _I love him, Ron._ She had said. Just like that. How could she love something so mean, self opinionated and downright evil like Malfoy? Well, maybe not evil as such. He hadn't been capable of killing Dumbledore and it had been the failings of his father that made him a direct target for the vile schemes of Voldemort.

Another sigh. It had been Malfoy though who had called Hermione a Mudblood. In return she had slapped him, a year later but nevertheless. Had that all been a prelude for what was to come later? No, neither of them seemingly had known about the Binding. He grinned. The ferret would have probably committed suicide had he known that he was spoken for, bound to the one person he loathed most. What would Hermione have done, had she known about her being destined to be with the guy tormenting her every chance he got? Most likely she would have learnt about the Reversal while they were still at school and would have done everything necessary to have it performed before she sent her parents to Australia.

What had that snake done to slither into her heart? Ron couldn't understand why the cleverest girl alive would fall for something like the ferret. Speaking of fatal attraction. It could only end in tears, he was sure of that. Once she saw what he was really like she would be only too willingly come back to him.

'Don't delude yourself! She'll never leave the ferret, even if it kills her.'

Sipping the nearly cold tea he wondered if there was any girl out there that could capture his heart just like Hermione had done.

* * *

><p>Draco had been staring at the ceiling for the past two hours. He had been told that he could be discharged in the morning, if somebody would be able to come and collect him. This person would also have to be able to have an eye on him for a few days to make sure he rested as the healer had ordered him to do. He had been wondering if he should have them owl his mother to come for him, but had discarded the idea. He wasn't a boy any longer that called for his mother to come and collect him. He was a grown-up twenty-one year old man, though his wife might not be agreeing with this. She wouldn't think of him as grown-up man. For her he would always stay the boy he had been at school. For her he would always be the one that had called her <em>that<em> name.

He shifted and grimaced. His wounds had been healed but the muscles and tissue needed time to recover nevertheless. He would just stay here for a few more days before finally going through with his plans to buy himself a flat or small house somewhere, far enough away as not to be in danger of meeting _her_ or any of her friends. The last thing he wanted to do was stumble over Potter or, even worse, Weasley. That ginger idiot had her for good now. Draco didn't have any illusions any longer. He might have told her all those things yesterday, but it wouldn't change anything. She made it clear that she didn't want him in her life. Otherwise she would have been at his bedside when he woke up this morning.

His fingers moved over his left side. One of the broken rips had nearly pierced his heart. She had pierced his heart with her rejection. He knew she had made up her mind. That loser Weaselbee would probably be planning their wedding already. Good luck to him!

The bitter taste in his mouth reminded him of all the bitter moments he had been the recipient of. When his father had told him of in Borgin & Burkes he had felt humiliated. When Hermione had told everybody the truth about his father having bought him a place on his house team he had been jealous. When he had been forced to face the fact that his hard man image had all been a lie and that he wasn't capable of killing anybody in cold blood he would have only too happily surrendered to Dumbledore. It had been that moment when it came to the crunch and the cards were open on the table that he had finally admitted to himself all the things he had denied for years, all his jealousy, all his empty days and even lonelier nights, all the pain and unshed tears, it all had made him realise that he didn't want to be would he had been forced to become. He wanted to be free.

He punched the mattress. What a load of…

"I would have thought you eager to leave and not just idly lazing about."

His head shot up as the female voice sounded from the door. His mother was looking at him with an expression he knew only too well.

"I'm not going anywhere."

"Oh yes, you are."

He glared at her. Why couldn't she just leave him alone for once? Had she not done enough?

"Get dressed, young man. We don't have all day."

He blinked.

"Do I have to dress you myself?" she moved closer indicating that she wouldn't hesitate to do just that.

"NO!"

He sat up. Why was she here? Who had told her to come anyway? Out off the corner of his eye he saw his mother advancing.

"Okay, okay! You can take me home."

Her face was like the surface of the deep sea. If he hadn't been so busy trying to get dressed without wincing every other moment he might have noticed. It would have told him that all was indeed not what it seemed to be.

When he was dressed and stood next to his parent a chill ran through him. His sense went into overdrive, but it was already too late. Narcissa Malfoy had wound her arms around him and a moment later she had disapparated them.

* * *

><p>It was surprisingly warm, but something wasn't right. His senses told him. It should be about late afternoon and there should havet probably been a sunse. Instead it was dark. There was a slight motion and several candles started burning.<p>

He found himself in a small sitting room with furniture he would have expected somewhere in the tropics or Caribbean. Where had she taken him?

"Where are we, Mother? This isn't the Manor."

"No, dear. It is not the Manor. You will be in need of some time to think, take stock and then make a well informed decision."

Draco glared at his mother. What was she talking about?

"When you are ready and the two of you have decided what's best, you'll be sent home."

"Decided? Both of us?"

A rather nasty suspicion arose within him, but before he could do or say anything more he saw his mother take out a small key.

"Don't try to apparate. It's not going to work and neither will any other magic that is not vital."

The key in her hand started glowing and a moment later she was gone.


	15. A very appreciative husband

Draco felt the urge to curse in the worst possible way he could. Why did he have to be born into the Malfoy family? In this very moment even the Weasleys would have been preferable as he doubted very much that Mrs. Weasley would be pulling any stunts like his own mother just had. He looked around and found nothing worth throwing, so he left it. That didn't mean he wasn't still in the foulest mood possible though. Somewhere here was the witch being considered his wife.

He paused his internal rant for a moment as he realised that she might have already signed the divorce papers, in which case he wasn't going to take any prisoners here. If he was indeed free again Granger better find a way out off wherever it was they had been left before he found her. He would most certainly give this pain in the backside of a Muggleborn a piece of his mind.

He strode over to the nearest door and opened it. There was a small kitchen, pretty rudimentary, behind it. He went back into the main room and found the next door let out into the front garden. When trying to leave the house he was surprised that it actually worked. Walking out through the gate was not working on the other hand. Frustrated he went back inside and tried the last door. As he had expected it was the bedroom. There was only one bed and, confirming his suspicion, Hermione was lying on it, seemingly fast asleep.

There was the urge rising within him to do something he knew would infuriate her, but as he was looking at her, he remembered what it had been like to lie beside her. He had been watching her sleep after he had been… making sure the Pain wasn't going to kill them. Draco was still filled with rage, but he also noticed how the sight of this particular witch was slowly draining away his destructive feelings. He didn't want to let that happen. He wanted to shout and yell at her. He wanted to make her see what she had put him through. Nothing and nobody did what she had done and went unpunished.

Approaching the bed the strange feeling of being watched hit him. He stopped dead in his tracks and slowly made a 360° turn. There was nothing obviously suspect. Hermione muttering in her sleep distracted him just long enough for the strange sensation to vanish.

Turning back to his intended victim his thoughts went back into rant mode. How could one person be as bloody infuriating as she was? Did she do an extra course for it or was she a natural?

"Draco?"

He stared at her. There was nothing else he could do. Had she just muttered his name? _His_ name? As she turned over he could now also see her face. It looked rather peaceful, close to serene.

'Get a grip, man! She's going to scream at the top of her lungs the moment she sees you.'

He could do without being screamed at, so he left the room, resisted the temptation of slamming the door shut and when outside. The night air was warm and filled with the scent of tropical flowers. It could have been quite nice for a honeymoon, if it hadn't… Was that what his mother and probably Potter had cooked up? Did they really thing, leaving him and his soon ex-wife in a tropical paradise imitating a honeymoon location would be solving anything? It wouldn't. He knew. That witch on the bed inside would rant and shout at him once she knew he was here and she couldn't get away without him. He could really do without that.

He sat on the lawn and watched the stars overhead. Had he been acting a bit too rushed when he filled for their divorce? No, he didn't think so. If he really had told her at the hospital that he loved her she hadn't stuck around long enough for him to wake up and tell her again when he wasn't thinking she was just a figure of wishful thinking on his part. She hadn't said anything. She hadn't owled him afterwards. Either to let him know that she was going through with her plans to get a divorce or that she was prepared to give him, to give them a chance. She had been gone when he woke up. If Potter hadn't told him about her saving his life, he wouldn't even have known that she had been the real Hermione sitting at his bedside. She didn't think it important enough to tell him anyway.

Merlin, what must she think of him!?

He let his head fall onto his pulled up knees and sighed. In all his life he hadn't felt so humiliated. Not even Potter finding him in that bathroom bawling over the sink had been this bad. He shook his head. Merlin, he was really losing it. One moment he wanted nothing more than wring her neck, the next he was hoping for her to confess her undying love for him, as if that was ever going to happen.

The soft breeze caressed his skin. For a split second he was wondering, if her touch would be as gentle. He scowled. She would never touch him. He had all the touching he was likely to get already used up. That one evening with her was all he would ever get. When he was filled with anger and frustration he didn't care about what she thought or what she might do. In those moments he was not himself any longer, he became a vengeful, uncaring… something. It never lasted long, but he lost all self control. When he regained his rationality he felt shame and utter loneliness. He didn't want to love that infuriating witch. He had never asked to be bound to her. He would have given her anything in order to get this madness stopped. No, he had been procrastinating on an epic scale. There had been enough time to get her parents and do the Reversal as it should have been performed. But when he had found out that his mother had been using the age old binding magic on him and Hermione there had been something deep within him that had told him to stick with it, that it might be fun to get up her nose every day of the week and seeing her helpless to do anything about it.

Well, he got that one wrong, if nothing else. She wasn't the helpless one in this relationship. She was the one who set the rules. She was the one who had told him to go to hell on his wedding day. Filing for divorce had been her plan, not his. He had been awestruck when he realised just how tough she really was. There would be nothing he did that she couldn't do at least as good, if not better. She had slapped him. She had never shied away from a confrontation with him. Merlin, she had more guts than most of the Death Eaters he had known.

His gaze followed the trees before him upwards, towards the star studded sky. It would have probably been nice to come here as a truly married couple. Yeah, right. Whom would he have taken on this honeymoon then? Pansy? Millicent? Or one of the Greengras witches? No chance for that ever to happen. None of them were a match for him. They had neither the ability nor the capability to keep up with him. Hermione had both. She was smarter than any other witch or wizard he knew. She was proud and honourable in all things she did. She must be the only student ever in the history of Hogwarts who never got detention past first year.

She wasn't even ugly, his little bookworm. She was quite pretty and had a really nice figure. Dancing close to her had reminded him of the things he would be expected to be doing to her in their wedding night. He had been looking forward to it, to have this amazing girl all to himself… He wouldn't have looked at any other female ever again. She would have been all he needed and wanted. She still was. The circumstances that had him undressing her and being able to look at her wonderful body had been not ideal. They had been downright horrible, to be honest. But he had seen her. He had enjoyed seeing her. For a few moments he had just pretended she was his sleeping wife and he was nothing more than a very appreciative husband.

Husband. He looked at his hand. The delicate design had not faded. The deep crimson around the gold and silver threads was as vivid as always. He wasn't wearing a wedding ring, he didn't need to. The Binding had made it obvious for all around them that they belonged together.

He sighed. Only five short weeks ago he had been blissfully unaware of all the mayhem that would be engulfing him shortly afterwards. To have Potter on his case, and him having the approval and co-operation of the lady of the House of Malfoy, was more than Draco could stomach at times. To know his mother would be forever after him to do _right_ by her, by _his _witch, was one thing, but to know that Potter was making sure that there was no way out for him was more than he…

"You?!"

His thoughts were interrupted by a rather surprised sounding female voice behind him. He didn't bother turning round.

"Yeah, and should you have had plans for anything cosy with the Weasel, forget it. Thanks to your _friend_ we're stuck here."

She didn't come any closer.

"What do you mean?"

"My dear mother came to pick me up from the hospital. But instead of apparating us back to the Manor, I ended up here with the instruction to do some _thinking_ and that neither of us should waste their time to try and apparate or use none essential magic. I tried; you can't leave the grounds."

His voice was even and didn't betray any of his emotions. He didn't want her to know what he was feeling. He didn't want to humiliate himself even more in front of her as he already had. If he really had said all those things to her in the hospital and she still never found it necessary to at least let him know what she was thinking about it and their overall situation, there was no need for him to say any more. He was punished by his love for her and he didn't need her to drive the knife any deeper into his heart.

"I'm stuck here with you?!"

Her voice didn't indicate, if she was happy or upset about it and he wouldn't give her the satisfaction of knowing what he would like this situation to be like. She had managed to reduce him to some kind of love sick teenager. He loved her like he had never known himself capable of loving. He could have happily spent a few days here with her, but as she loathed not loved him, what would be the point in getting into another argument with her.

Draco considered to just go back into the house and… Do what? Lock himself in the bedroom? No, whatever he considered doing, it was all pretty pointless. So he might as well sit out here.

Hermione glared at his back. She didn't get any reaction from Draco. He just sat there. Why was he behaving like this? Shouldn't he be happy to be here with her, if he truly loved her? Had that all been wishful thinking on her part? He obviously couldn't care less what happened to either of them. He had been the one filing for a divorce regardless of his words.

'You bastard!' she yelled in her head.

Moments later he could hear the front door being slammed shut and he heard her scream in frustration.

"You're welcome." he muttered to himself.

He slowly turned and found her gone. He hadn't expected anything else, but how long was he prepared to endure this… arrangement? Had his mother taken into account that they might kill each other before they would talk? Probably not. Gazing at the stars again he was wondering if this was his punishment for all the things he had done in the past.

Hermione stormed back into the sitting room and screamed. Why was this happening to her? She hadn't done anything. Maybe except for wanting to get married to the man she truly loved. She hesitated a moment. The man she truly loved, now, was sitting outside on the lawn, though he didn't seem to want to have anything to do with her anymore. Why had he been saying all those things in the hospital? Why had he been pretending to actually feel something for her? Why had he been playing this cruel game with her? Wasn't it enough that she had to find her parents, get another Reversal preformed and find a way to get rid of the pattern on her hand? Did he have to be such a bigheaded, self-centred, arrogant… Pureblood? Was this his way of making her understand that he was still thinking of her as just not human enough to be allowed anywhere near him?

She let herself fall onto the small couch and took a deep breath.

'Keep it together, Hermione. Don't let him get under your skin!'

She knew he already had. He had somehow slithered his way into her heart and now it was her paying the price for something that should have never happened in the first place. If his father hadn't been such an evil bastard his mother would have never found it necessary to bind her son to a Muggle girl or whom she thought to be a Muggle girl. Nobody could have foreseen the consequences of her actions.

Tears were welling up in her eyes. She was stuck here with that snake? She'll show him to play his cruel games with her. She would let him sleep outside, don't share any food and she most certainly wasn't going to talk to him ever again.

* * *

><p>Draco had been spending most of the night outside, but when it was close to dawn he started to feel the night's chill nevertheless. He had been putting off to go inside for as long as he could, but now it was just becoming silly. He would be sleeping on the couch and if she had a problem with him being here then that was tough.<p>

The house was dark. He flicked his wand for some light and to his astonishment saw Hermione lying rolled up on the sofa. The position she was in couldn't be comfortable and she would probably feel every bone in her body tomorrow.

He sighed. Having been brought up with good manners wasn't always helpful, like just now. He knew he should take her into the bedroom where she could stretch out properly, but that would mean he had to carry her there. If she woke up en route, she would most likely hit him, thinking he was trying to take advantage of her.

Did he care what she thought? No, he didn't. Well, yes, he did, but he couldn't let that interfere right now. As gentle as he could he gathered her into his arms and carried her towards the door leading into the bedroom. She mumbled in her sleep and her head lay against his shoulder, which allowed her breath to fan over his throat. He took a deep breath and carried on walking.

Laying her down he looked at her peaceful face. Why was she only so wonderful when she slept? Why couldn't she be a bit more understanding? He truly wanted her to understand that it wasn't easy for him to cope with having to be bound to her. He wanted her to know that he wanted to make an effort; he wanted to at least try to have a relationship with her.

'Don't kid yourself. She always was Weasel's and she'll always be his as well. Why should she want you?'

Tenderly he brushed a few stray hairs from her face. Why had it to be her he loved?

* * *

><p>"Do you think they'll be okay?"<p>

Ginny was looking at the rather worried face of the wizard sitting next to her in bed.

"Why? Do you think they'll kill each other?"

"It's not impossible. You know how stubborn Hermione can be once she has sunk her teeth into something. It doesn't even matter, if that's a really difficult rune translation or coping with Malfoy. I'm not sure that this will be ending well."

She sighed. It had been his idea to leave the pair on a remote island and have them sort their problems out by themselves. Why was he having second thoughts now?

"Do you know something I don't?" she asked.

Harry shook his head.

"I'm just worried. They both have been anything but co-operative over the past months. Malfoy did his best not to talk to Hermione and explain the situation and Hermione got so flustered and was close to losing it when she found out about being bound to him. They both didn't want this."

"No, they didn't. But didn't you say they love each other?"

"They do. If they'll ever confess that to each other though is another matter. I very much doubt it."

"So they're going to have a few rows. Believe me; you can row with somebody only so long. It loses its appeal pretty fast." Her look told him that she spoke from experience.

"I'm still worried."

A gentle kiss was placed on his cheek.

"They are both stubborn, proud and in love. Maybe not the best combination at first, but they'll have a lot of fun once they get their act together." There was a rather suggestive tone in her voice.


	16. I'm done talking to you

"AAAAAAAAAAAA!"

It wasn't the nicest way of being woken up and Draco really didn't like to have his dreams interrupted by somebody screaming at the top of their lungs right next to him.

"What are you doing in my bed?" the voice now demanded.

He sighed, turned his head towards where he knew Hermione would be and slowly opened his eyes. She was sitting dangerously close to the edge next to him on the bed. Her hair was a mess and her clothes looked like they had been slept in, which was of course what she indeed had done.

"Good morning to you, too." He said with as much sarcasm as he could muster.

"What are you doing in my bed?" she repeated.

"You were all curled up on that small couch. I took it upon me to have you share _my_ bed." he informed her.

"Your bed?" there wasn't only indignation in her voice; it was also all over her face.

"Yes."

He slowly sat up and looked at her. This was the first time that they had actually spent the night together; or at least part of a night. This could have been regarded as their official wedding night, and nothing had happened… Under normal circumstances he would have expected his new wife to be snuggled up to him right now. He would have liked it when she would have been smiling at him, not scowling as she did right now, and if he could have woken her up with a kiss…

'You _are_ losing it, mate. It's Granger we're talking about here.' His rational part told him with an icy voice.

Draco sighed and couldn't even muster the strength to scowl back at her. He was sick of having to apologise for everything he did just because she obviously couldn't handle it. Maybe it was time she faced up to the facts.

"Granger, I collected you from that sofa and saved you waking up with a knot in your spine because I was brought up with good manners. I would have done that for any female."

Well… Maybe not all of them, but at least most.

"I don't care, if you are too timid or prudish or just downright stupid to see that. I also don't care any longer what you think of me."

He moved a bit closer to her.

"I made a total fool out off myself at the hospital and maybe I should be grateful that you never mentioned it again. Maybe it's better this way. Maybe I have been bound to you for too long as that I was willing to just give up. I didn't have the right reasons to stick around at the beginning, but at least now I would have been okay with giving it a try."

His grey eyes roamed her face for a moment. He knew he only made partly sense, but maybe it was time he told her all those things he needed to say and she needed to hear.

"I fell in love with you, Hermione Granger. I'm not talking about the influence of the Binding, I'm talking about true love. I fell for you when you kissed me in that room. I was hoping you would be in love with me as well. That it wasn't just something you said. I said my vows with the full conviction to stick to them. I wanted this marriage. I wasn't stupid enough to believe for one minute that you felt the same as me, but I thought over time, when we got to know each other, you might begin to like me, to love me the way I loved you. I might have been unreasonable when I said all those things that night, but what did you expect me to do? Spend what was supposed to be my wedding night in the house of a family that loathed me at least as much as I had loathed them for years? I would have settled for the Leaky Cauldron or your parents' house and any other place, but you just blew up in my face. There was no reasoning with you. I knew I had made a mistake, but when you told me that I wasn't worth your time, what did you expect me to do? Just stand there and beg? I'm a Malfoy! I don't beg, not even for the love of my wife."

He felt himself getting into rant mode again and wasn't quite sure, if he shouldn't better quit while he was ahead. Hermione made that decision for him.

"Have you any idea what your aunt has put me through in that house? Have you any idea what it means to feel the Cruciatus Curse? I nearly died in that place and you expect me to spend my wedding night there? How could I not think of what happened there every single moment? You seriously believe I would have slept with you there?"

She moved slightly towards him. Her eyes were sparkling with something that could have been anything from rage to lust. Draco knew it to be rage.

"How many girls have you slept with?"

"What?"

"How many girls had the bad fortune to fall victim to your display of superiority, riches and status? Ten, fifteen, twenty? I pity them all. They'll never know what it means to share themselves with somebody that cares."

A rather speechless Draco was looking at her with what could only be described as shock in his eyes. Was that what she thought of him? That he had been sleeping around indiscriminately? Didn't she know that such behaviour would have never been tolerated by his father? It was true that he had been intimate with two or three members of his house, but he would have never done what she suggested.

"I have never slept with anybody, and not because nobody was interested but because I wanted it to be with somebody I trusted, somebody I loved. I had always wanted it to be my husband. I had thought it would be Ron one day and I was looking forward to it. Finding out it would be you instead wasn't easy to get used to, but for the duration of our reception, while we were dancing and you made me feel special, I was wondering, if you might be okay as well. If the bond we were sharing might make it possible for you to care enough as not to make demands I couldn't fulfil. When you were dancing with Ginny I was wondering how it would feel to touch you."

Regret was now showing in her eyes.

"There had been a moment when I was even proud to be with you. I was proud to see how some of the girls were looking at you, knowing you were mine. What an utter idiot I've been."

They stared at each other.

Draco decided that enough was enough. If he wanted to torture himself there were better ways to do it.

"You know that I love you. I regret not having been able to be the wizard you wanted me to be, but I'm not going on to pretend I deserve being scowled at and loathed by you. I don't. I made a mistake and you can't see past that. Fine."

He got of the bed, looked at her with an expression bordering on sadness and then spun on the spot. But instead of disapparating nothing happened. Swearing rather colourful he went to the door and slammed it shut behind him.

On the bed Hermione burst into tears.

* * *

><p>"You have actually been there? How? I mean didn't they see you?"<p>

Ginny was rather excited by the news Harry had just provided her with. He had been to see, if Draco and Hermione made any progress.

The look in his eyes put a stop to her excitement.

"What happened?" she asked in a voice filled with dread.

"They were both still sleeping when I arrived. The moment Hermione woke up and realised that Malfoy was sleeping next to her she had nothing better to do than scream."

"She screamed?"

"Yeah. You can't imagine how glad I was that the Invisibility Cloak was hiding me. If that's what she's like first thing in the morning… Poor Malfoy."

"She isn't going to do that every morning."

Harry looked anything but convinced. Ginny knew what he meant though. If he was feeling pity for somebody like Malfoy it must have been really bad.

"I can't see them sharing the bedroom again. He's probably going to sleep in the bathtub before he goes back to her."

'I can't even blame him.' he thought.

"What happened then? I presume Malfoy woke up."

"Oh, he woke up alright."

"So? What happened?"

"They had another row. This one was even worse than the one we witnessed at the Burrow."

His back of his hand was slowly stroking Ginny's face.

"To be honest, I can't see them getting their act together, ever."

"Does Ron know where they are?"

"Are you kidding? He would be there before I could stop him. He'd probably say he'd tried to rescue Hermione. But the last thing they need is him there, or anybody else for that matter."

He shook his head.

Ginny tenderly embraced him.

"Don't worry. Sooner or later they'll run out off steam. Sooner or later they'll have to come to some kind of agreement."

"Even if that means, they do get their divorce finalised?"

"That's not going to happen."

"Your word in Merlin's ear, Ginny."

* * *

><p>Draco sat on the lawn again and looked at the trees surrounding the house. He was exhausted. There was not enough strength left within him to even curse the witch so close yet so unreachable. He was tired of fighting with her. He didn't want that. He wanted to hold her. He wanted to gently explore her and he wanted her to want to be with him. There had been moments of doubt all evening long during their wedding reception. He had expected her to tell him to get lost any minute. But she hadn't. She had danced with him. She had laughed with him. They had had a wonderful time together. Hope had been starting to grow within him that he might actually be able to pull this off. That he might be able to get her to trust and eventually even want him.<p>

It seemed as if _deception_ had been the name of the game. He had been deceiving himself.

He let his gaze wander over the flora before him. There were mainly tropical trees and a lot of palms. There was the sound of different birds twittering as well as the humming of a lot of insects. It was tranquil and he wished there wasn't that harpy called Hermione here with him. He would have loved to explorer the jungle, too watch the animals living within it. If this was an island there might even be a beach.

A smile stole over his lips as he thought of going swimming with the girl that had kissed him a week ago. Skinny dipping with her… yes that sounded rather appealing.

'Get real, mate. This is only ever going to go one way and at the end of the road will be your divorce.'

He sighed. His thoughts were alternating between realism and wishful thinking at an alarming rate. Why should he bother with anything any longer, least of all that witch hell bent on making his life a living nightmare?

Unseen by the troubled young man a pair of yellow-brown eyes was watching him form the edge of the forest, knowing eyes. Concern was shining in them.

'Don't give up just yet, my son.'

Draco let his hand wander over the grass. The blades were soft and tickled his palm. He could feel the urge to fall back into loathing the woman he had been bound to again, but stopped himself. If he wanted to be truly better than the image she had from him he needed to focus on the good of her, not what was seriously threatening his sanity. If she wanted to shout at him, he would let her. If she hit him, he would let her do that as well. She wouldn't find him resisting her treatment any longer. She could sign the divorce papers. It wasn't of any concern to him any longer. He would just leave her alone and live with the few happy memories he had.

He remembered their first kiss, when she had been trying her wedding dress on and he had sneaked up on her. Though she didn't know it was him then. The dreams of her while he was fighting the Pain would not come back, but he could at least remember seeing her undressed as he had… She had been so beautiful. Her skin had been so soft and warm. While being in the situation he hadn't been able to truly appreciate her, but now he could. Looking back he could marvel at the gentle swell of her breasts and the enticing scent of her.

Closing his eyes he let his head slump backwards. He had felt all the contours he had seen then while they had been dancing. Looking back it had all been way too perfect. Her confessing to love him, her declaring her willingness to be bound to him with body and soul, that had all been too good to be true. But he wanted to believe. He wanted to have what she promised even so there was no way he would be able to gain it.

He thought of the woman that had bound him. His mother was an exceptional witch, just as his wife. But he would have to disappoint his mother in order to satisfy his wife. She wanted to get away from him as far as possible, well, that might be a bit of a problem and if they only got back home after they had made up and promised to live happily ever after… He was facing a very empty and very lonely life from now on. At least it wouldn't be a problem to sleep out here as he was not going to go back inside. She could do whatever she wanted in their. As long as she stayed out off the front garden he wouldn't go into the house.

* * *

><p>Hermione didn't cry for long. She was unsure what to think about suddenly finding herself stuck some place with Malfoy rather than anything else. Waking up next to him had been somewhat of a shock and starting the morning with a row wasn't her idea of a good start into a new day either.<p>

She glared at the door he had left through. Where was he and who had brought them here? Oh, right, he had been apparated here by his mother. But how had she managed to get to this strange place? There was the suspicion niggling at her that her friend Harry might be having something to do with it. Though why would he want her here stranded with the ferret?

The answer was obvious, but she point blank refused to acknowledge it.

She could feel the overdose of adrenaline in her system. It made her all agitated and anxious. She needed to do something, anything, to get rid of it. Her logic wasn't working properly with this much adrenaline in her bloodstream.

Taking a few deep breath didn't help. It only made her aware of the soft scent that was his still lingering in the room. Punching the pillows wasn't hitting anything hard enough, but she feared punching a hole into the wall which didn't look too substantial. Maybe she could just hit Malfoy instead? Then again, he might hit her back. An evil grin spread over her face. Hadn't he said he had been brought up to have manners? Well, now Hermione would be finding out, if that had been idle talk or not.

She got off the bed, pulled the door open with such force that it slammed against the wall and was out the front before it had time to close again.

"Malfoy!" she yelled as she saw him sitting on the lawn.

He didn't react. His face was directed towards the blue sky and he was propped on his arms each side of him.

"Oi, ferret! I'm talking to you!"

'Tough, I'm done talking to you.' he thought without moving.

She now stood in front of him, hands on her hips and the tinge of her skin colour told him that she had managed to get into a right rage, though he didn't care any longer. He was past caring. Whatever she might try, he wouldn't rise to the bait.

"Don't you dare ignore me!"

'Not very likely, the way you're shouting.' he mused in his mind.

Hermione had come closer and was now only about two feet away from him. He had a prime view onto her thighs as she seemingly didn't have had time to notice that the nighty she wore was only about reaching to where his eyes were right now. Why hadn't he noticed before?! Did Potter get her into that? Or did she actually sleep in skimpy things like this? For a moment he was about to grin by the thought of waking up to a sight like this every morning. It was then that he reminded himself he wouldn't be waking up anywhere near her. Though, should Weasley have had anything to do with her wearing this sweet nothing he would kill him!

"Look at me when I'm talking to you, you…"

He looked up and found her murder screaming eyes rather fascinating. They were a rather unusual shade of brown now; there was a touch of honey and midnight within it.

"If you don't want me to punch you again, you better tell me how we got here and how we're going to get back."

Anger seemed to be interfering with her logic. Draco was quite sure that he had told her already why they were here and she should know, who was the most likely culprit for her being stuck here with him.

"You'll get us home right now!" she demanded.

He couldn't help it, but a smirk crept onto his face.

"What do you expect me to do? We can't apparate and I doubt very much that swimming or walking is going to be a viable option to get back home."

He scolded himself for letting himself being rope in and talking to her after all a moment later. He wouldn't say anything more!

"I though you Death Eaters had special powers."

That was below the belt. His heart indicated a stabbing pain and his mind screamed for retaliation. She was obviously looking for somebody to blame for their situation, but he wouldn't provide her with any more ammunition to have a go at him, which didn't mean that she wouldn't do it anyway. Hermione Granger, the smartest witch of their age didn't seem to be able to handle emotions. She didn't seem to have the faintest idea about relationships and… Whom was he trying to kid here? Had he ever had a proper relationship with a girl? No, of course not. He had been forever pretending to be the king of cool, but truth be told Blaise had probably more experience than Draco. Even Goyle might know more about the game of getting on with a witch than he did.

He had his face let become an expressionless mask. Looking at the sky he ignored her, or at least tried his best. The thorn in his side had started to poke his chest, rather forcefully, with her finger. After the third time, he had had enough. He sat up, getting face to face with her, grabbed her shoulders and pulled her down. She shrieked and fell on top of him. Draco didn't waste any time to wrap his arms around her, turning them over he was pinning her down underneath his body. His legs wound around hers and immobilised her further and as her own arms were trapped between their bodies she saw herself helpless.

Hermione wanted to scream and tried to get out off his vice like grip, but to no avail. He was the one in control.

"Very mature!" she hissed.

Draco just looked at her.

"Are you just going to lie on top of me until we find a solution?"

He wouldn't complain about doing that. Though her assessment of the situation wasn't absolutely correct. He wasn't lying on top of her. He was straddling her, which made him acutely aware of their gender differences.

Glaring daggers at him Hermione was again trying to get away, managed to get her hands free, but found them a moment later pinned to the ground next to her head. The face of her captor was still ten to twelve inches away from hers, but she knew he could manage to make this space disappear in the blink of an eye, if he wanted to. She glared up at him.

Draco looked at the girl beneath him. She was fiery and probably trying to decide what kind of method would draw out his demise the longest in this very moment, but before he allowed her to do anything to him that would be painful he would be trying his best not to harm her. He didn't want to do that in any case. The one thing he really wanted to do right now…

He lowered his head slowly towards her. There was determination glinting in her eyes, but also fear and anticipation. He knew that she would be biting him, if she was allowed to. Therefore he wouldn't allow it. His lips brushed her left cheek, then her right. He leant close enough to smell her scent. Drinking in the familiarity of it he licked over the skin of her neck. Something rather animalistic was rising within him. For a moment it felt like somebody else was trying to take over his mind. The urge to bite the witch beneath him was trying to overwhelm him. Draco wasn't willing to let that happen. He turned his face back towards hers and kissed her. Fiercely, passionate and without thinking of anything other than the desire he was feeling.

Hermione felt his lips, felt his breath, felt his skin against her own. It was intoxicating and she also felt her resolution to take her anger out on him dissipate, fast. What was happening to her? The liquid heat pooling within her had never been this nerve wrecking. She had felt desire before, but never like this. This was way beyond anything she was familiar with. Where Draco's body was pressed against hers she could feel that she wasn't the only one experiencing this… whatever it was, he was as well.

Their eyes met and in this very moment there was no denying it. Draco wanted Hermione and Hermione wanted Draco.

"What's happening?" she whispered.

"I don't know. But whatever it is, it's driving me insane." his voice was low, husky.

"Me, too." she replied. Her words were laced with wanton.

She let herself get lost in the light grey of his eyes. Had they always been this wonderful colour?

"I can't resist," he kissed her lightly, "and I don't want to either."

A pink haze seemed to have taken over her logical part. The only thing important in her life was her husband. She loved him and she wanted him to… Draco was kissing her again with a hungry urgency.

A moment later he let go of her mouth and sat up. His fingers were nimbly unbuttoning his shirt while his eyes never left hers.

"Draco." Hermione sighed.

The sight of his bare torso was further raising her already too high body temperature. The pale skin was shining in the light of the early morning sun. He seemed to have been sculpted from the purest white marble. As he was about to unbuckle his trousers her hands stopped him. Her gaze told him to let go. She would be finishing would he had started and to his utter delight she did.

How had she managed to get him out off his trousers this fast? Why had she been wearing only the most flimsy nighty she had ever seen and where were his lips? Not that it really mattered, but if it would be like this when ever they… Reason seemed to have taken its leave as their hands were roaming each other's bodies. Heated passion was all that was left for them in the world.

Skin touched skin and Hermione knew she would never tire to feel the softness of her husband. He was muscled, strong and right in this moment he was kissing her, no, he was most definitely snogging her senseless. This had nothing to do with the soft lip caressing she had been experiencing so far. This was the real deal. This was what she wanted. He was what she wanted. The lacy fabric she had been realising she wore was long gone. But it didn't matter any longer.

Draco was feeling his way to his final destination as there was suddenly a loud gasp, the sound of slipping cloth and a moment later his grey eyes saw the most unwelcome figure of Harry Potter standing not ten feet away from them.


	17. A ghostly island

**A/N**

**It has been too long this the last update, but please review and enjoy the lastest installment anyway.**

* * *

><p>Blaise was sitting in the deep and hidden recesses of his favourite bookshop in Rome and stared at the book he was holding. He had decided that enough was enough and he needed to know what exactly was going on with his best friend and Granger.<p>

What he had found out hadn't been what he had been hoping for.

The bit about them having to get married and consummate their marriage in order to escape the Pain was one thing, but the bit about the potential _side effects_ had been a bit disconcerting. According to this long deceased author there was the possibility of complications should the bound couple be destined to be together. If Fate herself had chosen them to belong to each other the Binding spell could negate their feelings to a degree that could border on obsession. Well, Draco and Granger most certainly had never had a good word for each other in the past. He had been surprised that his mate had been so willing to go along with… Correction, the wizard in question had been more than reluctant to go along with the scheme his mother had the bad luck to start all those years ago.

His dark eyes scanned the page he had just been reading again.

… _It is possible for the Binding to work successful for a certain time after having been activated by the younger partner reaching their 21st year. The couple would be igniting the spark within the other to the intended flame. But eventually…_

He looked at the words. Igniting the spark to a flame? Oh, yeah, he remembered reading about the seed of love being planted by the spell.

_But eventually the spell will lose out to Fate. One or both will find their true feelings for their intended spouse. When this happens the emotions created by the spell will feel false and artificial. There is the chance that only the wizard is resurfacing to reality though while the witch is kept imprisoned by the spell. This nearly always happens when she is of Muggle parentage._

A big frown appeared on Blaise' face. Granger would be incapable of shrugging off the false feelings of the spell? Great! Not enough that Draco was bound to her, she wouldn't be able to truly love him. Who had come up with this bloody Binding spell in the first place? Blaise would have loved to give that person a piece of his mind, in the rather physical form of a broken jaw.

He read on.

_To this day there has never been a case where the wizard couldn't woo his witch, though in order to make her see the true nature of her attachment to him and therefore win her as his equal in a marriage that Fate herself had designed._

"That Fate girl has a lot to answer for." he muttered under his breath.

There was something scribbled in the margin and it took him a while before he realised what it said.

_The fastest way to unite a destined couple is for the wizard to unite them._

To unite them? What? He glared at the handwritten letters on the stiff parchment. They were already married and also had… A grin lit up his face. So, Draco getting into Granger's knickers would be the remedy to their situation? He knew no witch could resist his best friend's charm when he really put his mind to seducing a girl. Not even Weasley's ex would stand a chance. If he would actually get the opportunity to use his skills on her was another question entirely, and if he was willing to do it.

Blaise sighed. His mate might not want to get close to her again. They might be married and have had the… he wasn't sure, if he could really call it _pleasure _when they had shared their bodies with each other. Granger wasn't ugly and had most certainly a nice body, but she although had a wand and a quick and rather sharp mind.

"Did you find what you were looking for, Mr. Zabini?" a voice interrupted his thoughts.

There was a rather elderly wizard with one the hint of white hair and a gentle smile standing next to the chair the young wizard sat in.

"Si, Senore Cassada, gracie."

Blaise got up, paid for the book and then apparated back to London with the intension of explaining to his best friend why he had been loathing Granger all these years. He turned this thought over in his head for a while. Maybe it was better, if Draco didn't know that he was destined to be with Granger no matter what. Everything was complicated enough as it was.

* * *

><p>Ginny was looking at the door for the third time in a minute and sighed. Harry had promised to come to dinner after he was finished at work, but so far he hadn't materialised.<p>

"Everything okay?"

Arthur Weasley had been observing his daughter closely and was starting to wonder, if there was something going on she and his future son-in-law tried to keep a secret.

"What?"

It was obvious the youngest member of the Weasley family was more than just a bit lost in her own thoughts.

"Is there something going on? Is Harry in trouble? Are you in trouble? Or has it to do with Hermione and Draco?"

Ginny was glad that her mother wasn't home yet from her shopping trip to Diagon Alley. Her dad might be suspicious, but he wouldn't prod until she told him everything. For him it wasn't a problem to allow her some privacy.

"Hermione and Draco… They're supposed to be together. But after that row on their wedding day Hermione wanted to file for a divorce and Draco has actually gone and done it."

Mr. Weasley was somewhat surprised by this news. Why had Ron told him that his ex-fiancée had been consenting to consummate the marriage? She wouldn't do that, if she was intending to end it.

"Ginny, your brother told me that Hermione has been… intimate with Draco. Why would she do that, when she intended to end their relationship?"

Before his daughter could say anything a rather distressed looking Kreacher suddenly appeared in the middle of the kitchen.

"Miss must come to help." his voice sounded close to hysterics, "Master needing help, Master not talking, Kreacher were concerned for Master."

Before she could ask any questions the house elf had seized her hand and was disapparating them.

A took a moment before Ginny got her balance back, but then she saw what had got the poor house elf in such a state. Harry was sitting on the long bench, his Invisibility Cloak in one hand and his face as white as a sheet.

"What's happened Kreacher?"

"Master saying to Kreacher he checking up on Miss Hermione and Master Draco. He saying not to worry. He coming back like that."

So, he had gone to check up on Hermione and the ferret, fine. But what had happened to him? He looked like somebody had told him Voldemort was back.

"They were lying on the ground." A very shaky voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Who was lying on the ground? Hermione and Malfoy?"

Harry nodded. Did they possibly kill each other after all? Ginny didn't want to think of this possibility.

"Were they… alive?"

"They were… her thigh… he kissed… cheeks… her hands…" the look in his eyes wasn't just haunted, he was positively shell shocked.

"Harry? What have they been…?"

It took a moment, but then there was a picture forming in Ginny's mind she wasn't sure she wanted to see at all. Had her wizard had the bad luck to stumble upon their friend and her husband finally starting their marriage with a proper wedding night? She shuddered. No wonder Harry was in such a state, if he had to witness _that_.

"Why didn't you just leave? You had your Invisibility Cloak after all."

It took the best part of the next five minutes before Harry's recovery was sufficient in order for him to explain what had happened.

"I apparated in front of the house as I didn't know what they might be doing inside. They weren't inside. They were outside on the lawn. Malfoy was having his hands all over Hermione." He gulped down several large sips of tea before continuing. "Hermione was… kissing him as if the end of the world was near. They were all over each other. The cloak slipped. I couldn't stop it. Malfoy saw me…"

"Oh, great Merlin!" Ginny muttered as she sank next to him onto the bench.

* * *

><p>Draco sat on the couch wearing only his trousers. As Hermione's skimpy excuse of a nighty had fallen victim to his sudden rush of desire he had lent her his shirt. She was sitting next to him, her legs pulled up and her chin resting on her knees.<p>

Neither of them was exactly sure what happened. Draco was just glad Hermione hadn't seen Potter standing their staring at them. How long had that pervert been watching? Where was the praised Gryffindor decency? Or did that only apply to situations when they didn't want to spy on their friends? Anger was rising within him. How could he not hex the other wizard when he saw him next? The privacy of his wife had been violated.

His wife… Was he willing to still think of her as such? Technically they were still married, but one signature of her could change that in an instant. Would she want to?

He ran his fingers through his hair. When did he start caring about what Granger did or thought?

'The moment you truly fell in love with her.' His inner voice informed him.

"What happened, Draco?" Hermione asked with a very quiet voice.

"I honestly don't know. It was like something was trying to take over my body." he replied with a shudder. It didn't escape him that she had called him Draco though.

"Why did you stop?"

It was an easy question, for which there wasn't an easy answer. Should he tell her the truth? Should he tell her that Potter had been standing more or less right next to them? He wasn't sure, if she would appreciate the knowledge of having been seen in a rather compromising position by her best friend, who just so happened to be male. They were married and nobody should be wondering about them getting frisky, but… There was always a _but_. Nothing was normal with them.

"Do you want the hard truth or some blatant but comfortable lie?"

She turned her head to look at him.

"Why would you want to lie about it?"

"Because you wouldn't want to know the truth. The lie is more comfortable."

Hermione kept looking at him. Why was he so concerned about her knowing the truth? In the past he would have just… In the past he hadn't been in love her, and neither had she had to face this fact.

"Would you prefer to lie to me?"

"No."

His steel grey eyes were slowly roaming over her face. It was a nice face to look at.

"Then don't."

Her lips were rather soft looking.

"You'll regret knowing."

"Let me be the judge of that."

Draco slowly leaned closer. Hermione was tempted to retreat from him, but didn't.

"Potter was watching us."

He observed the emotions flicking over her face. First there was utter horror, which then turned into embarrassment followed by something resembling shame. After her blinking a few times there was only anger left.

"Told you."

He was about to lean back when he suddenly felt her hand at the back of his neck, pulling his face towards her own.

"He isn't here now, is he?"

Was that some kind of trick question? He frowned at her.

"You might be too timid to finish what we started, but I'm not!"

Her lips crashed onto his a moment later. She wasn't the shy, self-conscious witch he had thought her to be any longer. She kissed him aggressively, demanding him to submit to her. Draco wasn't used to this kind of rough and tumble behaviour from a girl. Normally it would be him kissing the witch of his choice, not him being kissed like _this_.

"Hermione."

He tried to disentangle himself from her. Only to find that she seemed to have grown several more arms and hands which were now all over him.

"Hermione! For Merlin's sake!"

She didn't stop. The couch wasn't really big enough for the two of them wrestling with each other so they ended up on the floor. It just so happened to be Draco cushioning his wife's fall. For a moment she lay still on top of him, staring at his face. Was she finally regaining her senses? Taking the opportunity Draco wrapped his arms tightly around her torso and rolled over. Now it was Hermione being pinned to the floor by him.

"What's the matter with you?" he hissed.

There was something in her eyes, something that started to worry him.

"What? Can a girl not express her desire for…"

"You wanted to divorce me." she was interrupted.

"So did you."

"Because you didn't want to be my wife in the first place, because your feelings for me were all down to the Binding spell. Nothing was real and still isn't."

Hermione slowly licked her lips. Draco felt himself getting on shaky grounds emotionwise.

"I… I know the truth. You don't love me."

"But I want you to shag me senseless."

He wasn't sure, if he should blush or not. Hearing this kind of words from a girl like her was… unexpected to say the least. She might be the witch he was trapping with his body right now but he wouldn't forget who she was regardless of their positions. It would have been easy to just have sex with her and be done with it, but something held him back. He didn't want to have meaningless sex with this girl. Hermione was special. He wanted to cherish her. He wanted to enjoy her, slowly and in every way possible.

"Come on! Don't be such a spoil sport."

"I'm not going to shag you. If that's all you want go find Weasel."

There was more venom in his words than he had intended. Somehow it hurt him to think she wouldn't be interesting in something meaningful… He sighed. Life had sent him the punishment for his past in form of this witch, fine. He accepted the fact that he loved her and she probably never would love him. There was a hunger within him to do what she asked him to do, but for once he wouldn't follow his…

Her growling at him interrupted his thoughts.

"If you are not willing, I'll have to force you."

Draco was quite sure that something was seriously wrong. There was no chance that _Hermione Granger_ would be behaving like this, not in a million years.

"Whoever you are, forget it. I'm not going to violate my wife's trust."

There was a sneer forming on the pretty face before him. This didn't even look like Hermione any longer.

"I could invade your mind and you wouldn't even know what's happening."

Trying to keep his cool Draco smiled, while at the same time casting a silent sleeping charm. The effect was instant. Exhaling deeply he got up, gathered the sleeping form from the ground and tried to disapparate. To his astonishment it actually worked and he found himself in his room at Malfoy Manor.

* * *

><p>There were voices whispering nearby, male voices.<p>

"I'm telling you that island has been deleted from all records and made unplottable for a reason. Theo said they had exiled some deranged, sex crazed wizard there some time in the sixteen hundreds. He used to invade the minds of unsuspecting Muggles, wizard or witches and did things with their bodies you don't want to know about."

"That would explain a lot. I was able to shake him off because I've been trained in Occlumency."

"But she obviously hasn't, yes."

There was a moment of silence and Hermione became aware that she was lying on something rather soft. Stretching slightly she felt he fingers touch the headboard of bed. The bed in the house hadn't had one. Peeking through her lashes she saw two figures standing over to the right in front of a massive fireplace.

"What are you going to do, mate? Are you going to report Potter for dumping you on an island inhabited by the ghost of a convicted rapist?"

"No. _She_ wouldn't want me to and besides, I heard Shaklebolt had a _word_ with Potter."

"Ah. So, what are you going to do?"

"Don't know."

"I told you what would remedy the situation, but it's up to you to do it."

"Go home, Blaise."

"Enjoy yourself."

"Yeah, right.

One of the figures stepped into the fireplace and vanished in the swirl of green flames. Hermione sat up.

"There was a convicted rapist on that island?" there was more than just a bit of disbelieve in her voice.

"Yes."

Draco was leaning against the fireplace, looking into the now normal flames.

"He invaded my mind?"

"Yes."

"What did he do?"

Draco turned around.

"He tried to get me to…" he sighed," He tried to make us have…"

"Sex." she finished his sentence.

"You actually begged me to shag you senseless."

Hermione stared at the man she was married to.

"Believe me, that were your words not mine."

She blushed. Did she dare ask what happened then? He answered her question before she got a chance to voice it.

"Rest assured, nothing happened and not for lack of trying on your part."

She buried her face in her hands.

"That bastard tried it with me as well, but…"

Hermione looked up. She found a strange expression was suddenly on his face. She had been willing _before_ that ghost had taken over her body, Draco wondered. Or had she? Had she still been herself when she had sighed his name? Had it been still her he had nearly… He felt himself blushing and turned his face away from her. It probably hadn't been her any longer at that moment. Merlin! He had nearly done what he would have never been able to forgive himself, rape a girl.

"Has anything happened? On that island I mean."

He shook his head. The fear and trepidation in her voice made his stomach drop.

"No, nothing has happened."

"Why are you glad about that?"

Draco turned and faced the girl he was bound and married to. Didn't she understand?

"I might be a lot of things, but I'm not a rapist, Hermione."

He saw the shock on her face.

"I would have been no better than any of the other Death Eaters."

He rolled up his left sleeve.

"Just in case you've forgotten what I am."

The Dark Mark was slightly faded, but it was there nevertheless. It would always be there.

"Just sign the papers. You deserve better than me."

He turned and left the room, leaving a shocked and speechless Hermione behind.


	18. I would have to

Mrs. Malfoy looked at the young man sitting opposite her. She had known Blaise for most of his life and was wondering what could have happened in order for him to come and see her. Normally he only came to see Draco. It had been him telling her about his friend having managed to escape their prison. It didn't bode well.

"Mrs. Malfoy, we have a problem." her guest began.

If this was concerning her son this was probably an understatement.

"What has happened?"

Blaise shifted in his chair.

"Do you know how Potter found that island where Draco and Granger ended up on?"

She gracefully shook her head.

"I suspect he didn't know that it was the exile of a wizard capable of invading the minds of the people around him. The problem is that he has been trying to invade the mind of Granger successfully."

"Could you be so kind as not to call my daughter-in-law _Granger_?"

The astonishment this request caused was only barely hidden.

"She is a Malfoy now after all."

"Of course, sorry."

"So what happened when this wizard invaded her mind?"

Blaise shifted uncomfortably. How was he supposed to explain to the mother of his best friend about Gran… Hermione having tried to… have sex with her son?

"Surely it can't be that bad."

His prolonged silence told her otherwise.

"What did he do to her?"

"That maniac had been sent to his exile in 1659. He was a convicted rapist who had been indulging in all sorts of depravity even before he managed to take over the body of somebody else for the first time. After that everything only became worse. His excesses… The less one knows the better."

"I see."

Narcissa Malfoy was quite sure that Draco would have been able to reign in his wife should she be trying anything he didn't want her to do, but the thought of him having to realise that he might have… She suddenly stood up and walked around the chair she had been sitting on. Dark eyes followed her.

"He tried to invade Draco's mind?"

"Yes."

"But Draco is rather skilled at Occlumency. That ghost wouldn't have succeeded."

"No. That's why Hermione was his next target."

"Who was unprotected and helpless against his attack."

"Yes."

It slowly dawned on the head of the Malfoy household how this would have affected her son. If he would have succumbed to her lures he would have regarded himself a rapist as it wasn't his witch wanting him, but her just being used. Memories of a seventeen year old Draco stumbling over two Death Eaters violating a Muggle girl in one of the store rooms came flooding back. He had been sick for hours, hiding in the farthest corners of the Manor for days afterwards. If he would have done what this sick maniac had tried to get him to do he would have never been able to live with himself again.

"Merlin!" she whispered.

Blaise also stood up.

"I have no idea how we're going to fix this, but it's got a lot more difficult to have him accept the fact that she might love him after all."

Mrs. Malfoy just nodded.

* * *

><p>Ron hadn't seen Harry for several days and nobody seemed to know where Hermione had got to either. It was his sister who finally filled him in.<p>

"Harry has been posted to Ulanbator for six months." Ginny said with tears in her eyes.

"Where's that?"

"Mongolia."

"What!? Why?"

"He's arranged for Draco and Hermione to be stuck together on a tropical island in order for them to sort things out between them."

"That's not a reason for him to be sent to Mongolia." Ron hesitated, "Or has the ferret complaint about it to our boss?"

Ginny looked annoyed.

"No, of course not."

She also sounded annoyed.

"That island was the home of a convicted rapist who used to invade the minds of his victims in order for them to get raped. He was exiled there."

"MERLIN!"

"Harry didn't know. He found the island by accident."

"So, what happened? Did he rape her? Malfoy I mean?"

"No, he didn't. The ghost invaded Hermione."

"Oh…"

They both looked at each other for quite a while.

"Where's Hermione?"

"I don't know. I've been to her flat a few times, but there's nobody there. Her workmates think she's still on honeymoon." she gave her brother a peculiar stare, "I got quite a few odd looks when asking after her. Everybody is still thinking you two got married."

"Yes, well…" he looked at his feet.

"Never mind. We need to find her though. Where would she be hiding?"

"In a library." her brother answered without thinking about it. "Hermione has always hid in the library at school."

The sudden squeal of his sister startled him.

"What?"

"Ron, you're a genius."

"I am?"

She hugged him and was gone a moment later.

"I'm a genius." he muttered to himself, baffled.

* * *

><p>Ron was wondering if he should be sitting in a pub in the middle of the afternoon, but he needed some time to think. He had never been in this particular establishment before so the chances of him encountering anybody he knew should be slim.<p>

He was mulling over the events of the past fortnight. But especially the day he had been told to let go of the girl he had hoped for to have as his wife. Hermione, his friend and fiancée Hermione, had told him that she was in love with the ferret. He knew she was not going to come back to him, regardless how much he might hope for it. She had fallen for somebody neither of them would have ever though a candidate for her affections. Who in turn thought that it was just the spell inducing her feelings for him and that it wasn't real. She thought them to be real.

He took a big swig of his butterbeer and than went to the loo, his still more than half full glass still on the table. He wasn't gone long when a new customer sat at the same table with his glass and a full bottle of Firewhiskey, ignoring the glass already present.

Draco knew he would be able to drown his sorrows here. He'd done it before. It had landed him in St. Mungo's with severe alcohol poisoning, but still. He could wallow in his misery and get legless with the wonderfully strong Muggle stuff they served here. The fact that the pub belonged to his best mate sort of escaped his notice.

When he returned Ron wasn't sure he was seeing right. Why was that foul git sitting at his table?

"Oi, Malfoy, take a hike." he snapped as reached the other wizard.

Draco's head flew up. What was that moron doing here?

"The last time I looked this was a free country, Weasel. Get lost yourself."

"I've been here first." Ron pointed to his glass on the table.

It was picked up and shoved towards him.

The redheaded wizard stared at his white-blond haired counterpart. He grabbed the glass and set it back onto the table with a loud _-thud- _before sitting down on the chair he had vacated.

"You should be with my ex-fiancée, playing happy couple. What kind of arrogant idiot are you, sitting here getting drunk when a girl like Hermione is waiting for you? She deserves better than you, ferret. I might not be as clever as she's, but at least I love her."

The colour of the face on the other side of the table was slowly changing from its usual pale to a nearly healthy looking pink. Ron just kept going. This was his once in a lifetime change to tell this opinionated bastard what he thought of him.

"You got it all, looks, money and a wonderful witch to boot. You're just too stupid to realise what jewel my friend is. She would never forsake you, no matter what. She's so loyal it's painful and she would do anything for her friends. For some strange reason she thinks she wants to be with you. Beats me why, but there you are. Can't you see what you're doing to her? It might be okay with Slytherin girls to have their chosen wizards hanging around in shady pubs, getting drunk, but our girls are better than that. They have standard, morals."

He didn't want to think about Lavender right now, whose morals had been rather lose, but he wasn't talking about her.

"Are you finish, Weasel?" a snarled voice cut into his thoughts.

Ron just ignored it. There were things he needed to say.

"She's been bawling her eyes out because of you. She's been so erratic it's frightening. Her heart belongs to you and you have nothing better to do than crush it."

A hard look followed his words.

"You, Malfoy, don't deserve somebody as wonderful as Hermione."

The reaction of Draco took Ron by surprise.

"Don't you think I know that, you idiot?! I know she deserves better than me. I know I'll never be good enough for her and I also know that it's the spell making her love me, nothing else. If she wasn't bound to me, she wouldn't look twice at me. I would be the insufferable git having made her life hell at school. I'm the one she thinks killed Dumbledore."

He leant a bit closer.

"You go back to her, get her parents to Britain and have the Reversal performed. I'm not going to stand in your way."

He was about to get up when, to his astonishment, he felt a hand on his arm.

"I always knew you were a coward, Malfoy, but that you don't even want to fight for the girl that has got married to you regardless of everything is just pathetic."

"Who are you calling pathetic?" there was a threatening edge to his words, but Ron ignored it.

"I'm calling _you_ pathetic. You claim to love her, but you're not prepared to do anything that could actually convince her of your feelings. You hide in here instead of being out there trying to find her."

He let out a snort.

"You, ferret, are right. You aren't good enough for her, never have been and never will be. You've made her life hell at school and now you just carry on doing it. You told her you loved her. That was a lie, Malfoy. If you would truly love her you would do whatever was necessary to woo and win her. But you're simply too much of a coward to seriously…"

"You think she would want to be married to a Death Eater?!" Draco yelled, "You think she'd be happy with people pointing at her when she's seen by my side, having people whisper behind her back? I know I'm not good enough for her. Thanks for pointing that out! I would do anything in my power to change things, but I can't. I'm condemned by my past and I don't have a future."

"Does that make hurting her okay? Do you know what's she's going through right now?! She'll be curled up somewhere crying her eyes out because of you bastard."

"Why should she?"

"Because she loves you!" Ron was close to seriously losing it and just punching the reason for his agitation.

"She can't love me! She's a Muggleborn, the spell won't let her. I would have to..." Draco suddenly stopped.

"What? What would you have to do in order to get her to have a chance to truly love you?"

"Never you mind."

Trying to push past the angry redhead he found his way barred.

"Move!" he hissed.

"Not be fore you tell me, what you have to do."

They were staring at each other for long minutes, oblivious to the fact that the rest of the guests were watching them.

"She would have to make love to me." Draco finally whispered before leaving an utterly stunned Ron standing while he disapparated.

* * *

><p>Draco hadn't consciously decided to apparate to the grounds of Malfoy Manor. It just happened. He punched the next tree, hard. His knuckles were bloody and had bark stuck within his flesh as he withdrew his fist again. He screamed at the top of his lungs possibilities.<p>

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Another punch was aimed at the tree. This time it broke a few bones in his hand. Blood was flowing slowly down his curled up fingers. He felt the pain, but the pain in his heart was so much greater that it seemed insignificant. His heart was breaking and there was nothing he could do to stop it. He would never be able to win Hermione. She was for ever out off his reach. He couldn't allow her to waste her life with him. Her feelings weren't real. His were though. He felt his soul being squeezed as if something was trying to extract all the happiness and all that was worth living for from it. There was no point for him to delude himself that this most wonderful of witches would ever want to be with him once she got her sense back. She would be marrying that redheaded moron. She would be his wife, mother to his children.

The thought of her being touched by another man had him punch the tree yet again. By now the pain was reaching a level that made it harder to ignore than before. He was a Death Eater. His flesh was marked for all eternity. There was no redemption or pardon for him. He would be an outcast for the rest of his life. He loved Hermione too much as that he wanted to subject her to this kind of life, his kind of life. He had been a recluse after the war and rarely left the estate. He couldn't imprison her here with him.

He didn't notice his mother until she was gently touching his arm.

"Draco."

He didn't turn or look at her. His heart was bleeding just as much as his hand was. Without saying anything his fingers were gently uncurled, his bones were mended, his skin healed. The pain was still in his soul though. Nothing could heal that, nothing except for him knowing that the witch in his life was no longer under the illusions of the spell and was truly considering him as a worthy spouse. Not that that would ever happen.

Tears were slowly running over his cheeks. His mother just wrapped her arms around his by now shaking body. He sobbed against her shoulder, for once letting go of all his pretended strength and superiority. Now he was just a young man too distressed to cope on his own any longer.

Later he couldn't say how he had got back to the house or who had wrapped the blanket around him as he was sitting in one of the high backed chairs in the small drawing room his mother favoured. The sky behind the windows was lit up by a beautiful sunset. A fire was blazing in the fireplace before him and as he let his gaze wander over the mantelpiece he saw several photos of himself which had been taking during the last ten years. In the middle of image of a sombre looking growing Draco was the photograph that had been taken on his wedding day. He was standing next to a smiling Hermione, who was looking at him with adoring eyes. The happiness of the picture twisted his heart. It seemed millennia ago that this photo had been taken. It seemed utterly unreal that it was him in it.

Soft steps behind him had him turn to find his mother approaching with a tea tray. She didn't say anything, she just smiled at him. In silence he watched his mother prepare the tea, pass him a cup and then sit down in a chair next to his own.

They drank in silence.

"Why are you not looking for Hermione, Draco?"

The softness of her voice didn't fool him. She could have been yelling at him and the effect would have been the same.

"Would that achieve anything? She is better of without me."

"Why do you thing that?"

"I'm a Death Eater, mother. Who in their right mind wants to marry something like that?"

"But she has already proven that she wants you."

"That's the spell, mother. Nothing she is feeling for me is real and it never will be."

A few moments of silence ensued.

"Blaise told me about what happened on that island."

"Potter probably saved both of us by appearing."

"Seemingly so. But what would you do, if you were in the same situation again, but this time there would be no mind invading ghost or Mr. Potter interrupting?"

"Nothing would happen. Without her being influenced nothing would have happened."

"Are you sure about that?"

"Yes, mother, I'm absolutely sure about it." He sipped his tea. "We were fighting non-stop before it happened. We couldn't even hold a civilised conversation."

"Has she signed the divorce papers?"

Draco thought about that for a moment. He knew that the Registry Office would have sent them to her and he already knew that he had ended up in St. Mungo's because his wife had received them. But if she had actually signed them, he couldn't have said. He might be still married or a free man already.

"I don't know."

"They normally put a spell on the paper that lets the both spouses know that these kinds of papers have been signed."

"Then she probably hasn't signed them."

The implications were hanging in the room like lead balloons, but Draco didn't want to think would the implications could or would be.

"Do you know why I bound you?"

"No."

"Your father had announced that he was going to choose a future spouse for you within the first month after you were born. He made it clear that it would be the daughter of another Death Eater. He went away for a few days and I had gone back to a wooded area I had played in when I grew up. I met John Granger there. He was obviously a Muggle, but the air surrounding him was so peaceful and calm it was intoxicating. As you were due soon he showed me the picture of his own daughter, who at that point was barely nine month old. She looked an adorable wee girl and I knew what would happen, if I didn't stop your father from performing the Binding. You would be eternally bound to the child of one of his cronies. Merlin knows what your fate would have been then. I couldn't let that happen. In the spur of the moment I thought that once I had bound you to a Muggle girl your father couldn't bind you to anybody else. Her being of non-magical blood would prevent the spell from unfolding the way it would have done under normal circumstances had you been bound to a witch."

She looked into the fire and sighed.

"Little did I know that this girl that was so miraculously being presented to me was actually a witch herself."

"Would you still have done it had you known?"

They were both surprised by his question. Narcissa Malfoy had never thought about that. Until recently she had assumed that the Binding partner of her only son was a Muggle girl. She had never considered her to be anything else.

Draco on the other hand was wondering if it would have influenced his mother's decision. Had she known that the girl she saw on the photo was a witch would she still have gone through with the Binding Spell?

"Yes. Yes, I would have bound you to her regardless. I have know her father only a very short time, but the love and affection he showed for her convinced me that she would be a having a loved and cherished upbringing. She would be a good person regardless of her parentage. She would not be corruptible by all the evil that was falling over our world."

He thought about that for a moment. If he would have been bound to Hermione regardless of his mother knowing her to be a witch or Muggle girl it seemed to have been Fate that he was stuck with her now. It wouldn't have made any difference though. He could yearn for her all he wanted; nothing would change her inability to feel anything real towards him. He didn't want her to in any case.

He frowned. Was she so… He was lost for words. Did he really just think of her as something not worthy of him? His heart was aching in a fashion that made his eyes water. It felt like utter betrayal somehow.

"Hermione is going to be by your side, Draco, regardless of how much you might resent it right now. She's not the kind of person to just give up."

That was exactly what he feared most. She wouldn't give up on him. _She_ would pursue _him_, not the other way round. Somewhere deep in his heart he was longing for her to not give up on him. He wanted to be found by her. Whatever her reasons might be he would accept them. He would wait for her to…

"Give her a chance, dear." His mother whispered into his thoughts.

* * *

><p>Blaise had always had a unique way with girls. His special abilities in regards to the fairer sex had always included to ability to find any woman regardless of where she might be trying to hide from him. Most girls only tried it once, maybe twice, but after that they all knew about the futility of it.<p>

It had taken him a lot longer than usual to find a certain brunette witch though. Maybe it were her Gryffindor genes that were interfering with his tracking skills, but after two days he had finally managed to pin her down in the back corner of a little bookshop in Muggle London.

The sight before him had been pitiful. Her hair was a mess worse than it had ever been at school, her face was ashen and her eyes red and swimming with tears. His grip around the book he was holding tightened as he thought of his best friend more or less looking exactly the same.

"Merlin, what a mess!"

He rounded the shelf he had been observing her through and sat in the chair next to her. Casually opening the book he had brought he glanced at her. She seemed to be engrossed in her own small leather bound volume.

"You might want to read this for a bit." he said.

Her head flew up and her eyes grew wide as she recognised him.

"Just read it. We'll talk about it later."

He stood up, glanced at her with something bordering on concern in his gaze and left.


	19. Time to end this farce

**A/N It has been way too long since I last worked on this story, but now I have finally managed to finish what I have started all those months ago.**

**Let me know what you think.**

* * *

><p>Hermione stared at the book Blaise had left behind. What was she supposed to read? What was this book? She picked it up and found the title to non-existent. There wasn't a title page either. She opened the book where the dark skinned Slytherin had left it for her and started reading. The more she read the more her mind started to go into overdrive.<p>

When she was done reading she realised why Draco had been behaving the way he had. He thought her incapable of feeling anything for him that wasn't hate or related emotions. Her actually wanting to be by his side was something he wouldn't believe any longer. His mind had been made up and she wasn't sure, if she would be able to change the way he was thinking.

Her legs were shaking as she got up. Where was Zabini? She needed to talk to him.

Blaise was outside, leaning against the wall next to the door of the little bookshop trying to look inconspicuous. He was only partly successful as a lot of girls were eyeing him with interest and curiosity while passing. He felt strangely relieved as the witch he had been waiting for finally emerged from her hiding place.

She didn't say anything, she just looked at him. He knew all the questions behind her gaze and he would be trying his best to answer them, but here was really not the right place to do it.

"Let's go." he said, taking hold of her arm.

Hermione followed him into a secluded alley and didn't protest as he wrapped his arms around her in order to be able to apparate them both.

* * *

><p>Harry was sitting very uncomfortably on his horse, trying his best not to fall off while following a group of nomads he had been assigned to as protector. He had no idea what he was supposed to protect them from, but he wasn't going to argue with it. He was just glad he was still a member of the Auror Office. After the island incident it would have been all too easy for his superior to just dismiss him.<p>

The row he had been getting had probably been heard through more or less the whole of the Ministry going by the looks he had been receiving afterwards. Eyes had been averted as he had passed his colleagues and friends. He hadn't been allowed to say goodbye to Ginny either.

He sighed and scanned the horizon again. The vastness of this land was breathtaking, though he better not get too absorbed into it. One moment of inattention and he might find himself off his mount again. It had happened in the past…

The riders before him had stopped and were starting to dismount. He stayed on his horse. Laughing and talking amongst themselves the men he had been riding with started this strange habit of theirs to perform seemingly random dances. Harry knew better by now though. He had been witnessing these men do magic after their dances, without wands or spells. They were seemingly able to condition their minds to perform the tasks at hand without ever having to think about how they did it.

He was starting to consider joining them. Not having to rely on his wand or any specific spell would have been invaluable in the past. It might come in handy in the future…

* * *

><p>Hermione wasn't sure where exactly the dark skinned Slytherin had taken her, but it was an office of some kind.<p>

"Take a seat."

She sat on the large sofa and watched as he got two bottles of Butterbeer from a tray on the table behind the desk. The look he gave her was rather unsettling. There was something in it, something strange. As if he was remembering something, but wasn't sure how to tell her about it.

"He's been on that couch not long ago."

"Who?"

"Who do you think?"

"Draco?"

"Yeah, when he tried to drink himself to death because he couldn't cope with the fact that he loved and lost you."

"Why would he…"

"Granger, you are supposed to be quite smart so use that brain of yours and think of what has happened in the past week."

She did. Hermione recalled all the lovely moments they had shared, but also the pain and despair she had felt. She remembered the feel of his skin, of his lips as he had kissed her and the way she had felt when he was looking at her. He had promised her the world with his eyes. Though she wasn't quite sure, if she would be able to accept what he offered.

"Remember me telling you that I wanted to make sure my best friend finally got a break in life? That I would make sure he got a girl that actually loves him."

"Yes."

"You know, Granger, I would be the last person to tell him to give up on you, but if you can't find a way to make him see the truth he'll do it without me telling him anyway."

"What am I supposed to do?"

Hermione was battling with feelings of disappointment and anger. Why was that Muppet regarded as her husband so hell bent on believing her incapable of loving him? She had married him after all. Okay, the Binding had more to do with her decision in that direction than anything else, but still. Now though she was her own woman again. She was deciding who she loved.

Blaise seemed to have guessed her thoughts.

"Don't delude yourself. Haven't you read what it said in the book? You are fated to be together, but because of the Binding spell there was never a chance for the two of you to naturally fall in love."

Blaise handed her a glass.

"There is only one way for you to convince him."

Her gaze met his dark eyes.

"You know and I know, and he probably knows as well by now. So, what are you waiting for?"

There was a confused look on Hermione's face. He sighed. Brains in a girl were really unhelpful at times.

"Granger, find that idiot of a husband of yours and don't let him out of your grasp before he hasn't…" his next words would have been a bit too shocking for her delicate ears he decided in the last moment, "Until you have consummated your marriage properly."

Shocked silence.

"There must be another…"

He slammed his bottle onto the desk.

"Granger! How stupid are you?" he close to shouted, "If you don't want to be happy with him than sign the divorce papers and end it, but don't let him hang in there for no reason. Don't give him the hope you might change your mind. Don't let him dream of you coming to him. Don't torture him and yourself any longer."

Hermione just stared at him.

"For the first time ever Draco loves somebody. He has been dreaming about you and what he wanted to do with you. He told me about taking you to Paris and he's even hoping to begin a new life with you."

Blaise looked at her for a few moments.

"My best friend has never talked about wanting a future with a girl, any girl. He's never been particularly bothered about it."

"He told me he never wanted a wife or family." she said in hushed tones.

"Yeah, that was before he got too close to you."

"What do you mean?"

"Merlin! How dense are you, witch? He's never been seriously interested in the past, that's right. But since you have stolen his heart he can't think straight for long enough to see what's right in front of him any longer. He would do anything in order for you to truly love him."

"But I do!"

"Then bloody well make him see that!"

Blaise would have run his fingers through his hair, if it hadn't been too short to do so.

"How!? He's not going to listen to anything I say anyway."

"Have you tried?"

Hermione just glared at him.

"Why would I? He isn't going to. It would be a total waste of time. We couldn't hold a civil conversation on that island so why do you think we'd manage one now? Draco thinks me incapable of loving him? Fine, he can believe that for as long as he likes. I'm not going to waste my time with him any lon..

She didn't get to finish her sentence as everything turned black around her and she slumped unconscious onto the couch.

"Sorry, Granger, I had hoped you were a bit more..." he mumbled as he gathered her into his arms and disapparated.

* * *

><p>Draco was sitting at his desk and stared at the current edition of the Daily Prophet. He had been staring at the front page for the past ten minutes, but had yet to truly see it. He sighed and run his fingers through his hair. This whole situation was a right farce. He wouldn't mind making… He sighed. He really wouldn't mind to showing her his desire for her but she would never want him to touch her ever again. What had happened on that island was just the last straw. Hermio… Granger had too much class as that she would want him anywhere near herself aver again. He had nearly done something inexcusable, something unforgivable and he was sure she wouldn't forgive him any time soon.<p>

There was the sound of somebody apparating and as Draco looked up he saw, to his utter bewilderment, his best friend carrying the seemingly unconscious form of none other than Hermione.

"What…? What have you done to her?!" he demanded to know as he approached the bed where his wife had been carefully laid down.

"I…" Blaise turned, "thought it was time for this nonsense to end once and for all."

"What do you mean?"

"Draco, I always thought her," a nod towards the sleeping witch followed," to be at least as smart as everybody said she was. To my utter disappointment I had to find out she is just as dense as you are, mate."

The dark skinned wizard ignored the death glares he received.

"I am rather amazed that I'm saying this but she, Hermione Granger, is so in love with you her brain has stopped working. I would have taken great pride in finding my best friend of nearly two decades to be a bit more master of his faculties but have alas been sadly disappointed."

He poked Draco hard in the chest.

"She loves you and you love her. But you're both so pigheaded that neither of you is actually willing to admit it."

Blaise gave his mate a hard stare before continuing.

"You want to enable her to truly love you? Well, there she is, in your bed and all you have to do is kiss her awake and rock her world."

He could see that his light skinned friend was about to object so he just carried on before he could do so.

"She is not going to bite and if she does, well, let's just say you'll just have to be a bit more persuasive and bite her back."

Draco chanced a glance at the sleeping young woman who was supposed to be _his_ woman. Should he do would he had been advised to do? Should he really _give her the chance to love him_?

"Go on, mate. You're both needlessly suffering. It's time this charade finally ended and you two got the happy-ever-after you both deserve." Blaise said in a very calm voice. "Don't let _her_ suffer any longer."

He laid his hand on friend's shoulder for a moment while looking at him and then he strode to the fireplace and was gone a moment later.

Soft muttering could be heard from the bed. Taking all the courage he had still left Draco carefully sat next to his wife. She was looking rather serene. Pushing an unruly lock from her cheek he slowly lowered his lips towards her forehead. He only touched them to her delicate skin. If this was going to be the last time he had the chance to be close to her he wanted it to last as long as possible.

Her eyes fluttered open and the deep brown that was aimed at him now was constricting his throat rather effectively.

"Draco?" her voice was a bare whisper.

"Yes, Hermione?" he rasped.

"What are you doing here?"

"I live here."

She tried to sit up but had not counted on Draco not getting out off the way fast enough. There heads hit each other rather painfully.

"Aw!"

They rubbed their respective body parts and when their eyes met again it was Hermione acting first. She grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him close. Close enough to kiss him.

It was hesitant and shy at first, but feeling him winding his arms around her she carried on. It wasn't as if she had never kissed a guy before. She had. She had done nearly all the variations of a kiss she knew of with Ron. But this was different. It wasn't only the thought to kiss him that occupied her mind. It was also the fact that she wanted more, so much more. Before it had always been clear that nothing else would be happening, it would just be kissing regardless of how passionate it was. Not so now. Now it would lead to more. It would them to the ultimate goal.

"Hermione."

To her dismay she felt pulling back. She didn't want him to do that. Trying to follow his retreating mouth she found herself being prevented from doing so. Draco was holding her shoulders now and looked at her.

"Hermione."

She looked at him.

"What?" her disappointment all too clearly audible.

"I… I love you."

There was a heavy pause for an all too long moment.

"I know that you can't love, truly love, me yet. But I want you to…" his voice trailing off he tried to gauge her reaction.

Hermione felt her heart burst with emotions. He wanted her to love him. He wanted her to be no longer a slave to the Binding. He wanted her… Her mind was silenced by him cupping her face and then gently pulling her close again. This time it was Draco leading the pace and direction in their close encounter. His lips roamed her mouth; his hands roamed her body and when he finally licked her lips she couldn't help herself but moan softly while welcoming him to deepen the kiss.

As he gazed at the witch he was holding a long while later Draco was sighing contentedly.

"What are you thinking?" Hermione asked quietly letting her eyes wander over his flushed looking face.

"I'm wondering, if you truly understand what will happen to you once the world at large knows that you're my… wife."

She didn't reply, but her smile invited him to carry on.

"You will be shunned by people you once called friends. There will be talk behind your back and finger pointing. Everybody will assume I coerced, threatened or cursed you to be with me. I doubt very many folks will be willing to accept that I love you with all my heart."

A sweet kiss was feathered onto his cheek.

"I want you to be happy, but I love you too much as that I could condemn…"

This time her kiss was aimed at shutting him up, which Hermione very successfully did.

"Let me love you, Draco. Let me love you like Fate wanted me to."

The doubt he was still harbouring in his heart was tenderly brushed away as she trailed the back of her fingers over the heated skin of his jaw.

"Let me love you, Draco…" she whispered against his lips.

* * *

><p><strong>Epilog<strong>

"It might be tradition, but I don't want my son to have to bear this kind of humiliation and ridicule all his life. He might be going to have an usual name but it's definitely not going to be _that_ name."

The voice of his wife was barely raised, but Draco knew she was just keeping it down in order as not to wake up their sleeping son. Normally she would have been yelling at him for all she was worth. He turned to the fireplace and grinned. But he didn't want her to see that. He had been thinking long and hard how to best get his son the name he wanted him to have. So he had come up with something outrageous and in the row he knew they would be having he would settle, seemingly remorseful, for the name he had actually intended for the infant.

"Fine, we're not going to call him that then." he paused, "What do you think of calling him Scorpius instead?"

Hermione's face told him that she wasn't to pleased with that name either, but it was a big improvement on his first suggestion so she let out he heavy sigh and didn't say anything.

"Is that still too horrible a name for you son?"

Draco slowly approached his wife and snaked his arms around her waist as he stepped behind her.

"I know, what you're doing." she said unexpectedly.

"You do?" he asked, hoping against hope she didn't.

"You wanted him to be called Scorpius all along but thought it best to suggest…"

He turned her in his arms and silenced her with his mouth. She was way too clever for her own good at times.

When he let go of her again he was smirking at her. She tried to glare at him, but couldn't keep it up for long.

"You're horrible." she said, mock hitting his shoulder.

"But you love me."

Hermione sighed and leant against him. Her head resting on his shoulder Draco ran his fingers through her curls. He now knew that the witch he was holding close was the only one there would ever be in his life. Their way to a true and happy relationship might have been rocky, but it had been worth it in the end. His mother might have been unintentionally ensuring him to be free for the one girl Fate had destined to be with him. If the Binding wouldn't have prevented his father from marrying Draco off to one of his cronies' daughters, he would have never had the chance to find out what happiness truly was.

He was happy to be the husband of Hermione. He was happy to be the father to her, to their, son. He was simply happy.

"I love you, dearest witch." he whispered into her hair.

He felt her smile against his skin.

"I love you, too."


End file.
